Milken Institute School of Public Health Poster Presentations (Marvin Center & Video)

Poster Number

25a

Document Type

Poster

Status

Graduate Student - Masters

Abstract Category

Environmental and Occupational Health

Keywords

pesticide exposure and farmer suicide, pesticide exposure and depression, Indian cotton farmers and suicide, Indian cotton farmers and pesticides, genetically modified cotton and pesticide usage in India

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Publication Date

Spring 2018

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this critical analysis was to examine the association (or lack thereof) of occupational pesticide exposure and elevated suicide risk among male cotton farmers in India.

Methods: A literature review was performed using Scopus, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases. The review included documents published before and after year 2002. Children were excluded from the search as well as women, with exception to research on gender differences in suicide.

Results: Studies outside India show a positive correlation between work-related pesticide exposure and suicide. Animal studies have shown that pesticides, as organophosphates, are toxic, producing neurobehavioral effects that include mood disorders and depression—a primary risk factor for suicide mortality. Since the introduction of genetically modified (GM) cotton to India, pesticide consumption (and suicide) has increased among the Indian farmer population. Conventional cotton practices, involving agricultural biotechnology and high-priced agricultural inputs (e.g., pesticides), trap low-income and often poorly educated farmers into massive debt; their response can be tragic. While pesticide poisoning is the most common suicide method in India, it sends a particularly loud message from the farmer community. Although this community is inclusive of women agricultural laborers, male cotton farmers have higher suicide rates compared to their female counterparts.

Conclusions: India’s farmer suicide epidemic can be stopped. Pesticide-free farming practices are available. Health information dissemination and less toxic pesticides may additionally work to mitigate the adverse effects of pesticide exposure. Research about the pesticide-suicide link in India is encouraged for improved health outcomes, especially among the male cotton farmer population.

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Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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(VIDEO) Dirty Cotton: Occupational Pesticide Exposure and Elevated Suicide Risk Among Male Cotton Farmers in India

Purpose: The aim of this critical analysis was to examine the association (or lack thereof) of occupational pesticide exposure and elevated suicide risk among male cotton farmers in India.

Methods: A literature review was performed using Scopus, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases. The review included documents published before and after year 2002. Children were excluded from the search as well as women, with exception to research on gender differences in suicide.

Results: Studies outside India show a positive correlation between work-related pesticide exposure and suicide. Animal studies have shown that pesticides, as organophosphates, are toxic, producing neurobehavioral effects that include mood disorders and depression—a primary risk factor for suicide mortality. Since the introduction of genetically modified (GM) cotton to India, pesticide consumption (and suicide) has increased among the Indian farmer population. Conventional cotton practices, involving agricultural biotechnology and high-priced agricultural inputs (e.g., pesticides), trap low-income and often poorly educated farmers into massive debt; their response can be tragic. While pesticide poisoning is the most common suicide method in India, it sends a particularly loud message from the farmer community. Although this community is inclusive of women agricultural laborers, male cotton farmers have higher suicide rates compared to their female counterparts.

Conclusions: India’s farmer suicide epidemic can be stopped. Pesticide-free farming practices are available. Health information dissemination and less toxic pesticides may additionally work to mitigate the adverse effects of pesticide exposure. Research about the pesticide-suicide link in India is encouraged for improved health outcomes, especially among the male cotton farmer population.

 

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