Determinant Factors Of Pesticide Exposure Among Agricultural Applicators, By Homogeneous Ecological Areas Of Cordoba Province, Argentina

The goal of this study was to assess the main determinant factors of pesticide exposure among terrestrial agriculture applicator population of Cordoba province, stratified based on their membership in one of five homogeneous ecological areas (AEHs) in which it is divided. The activities associated with land use are immersed in deep technological-productive transformations and Argentina is one of the countries where the development of agriculture in recent decades has led to significant structural changes. In the central region from 3.397.050 to 7.500.000 ha in the 1994/95-2011/2012 period, being 65 % of soybean, with an increasing use of pesticides. It was studied 1374 applicators characterizing them according to age, marital status, level of education, use of personal protective equipment (PPE), application equipment, area worked, job seniority and implementation of agronomic recipe. Significant differences between AEH were found. The type of crop sprayers, low levels of PPE used, use of non-prescription products and doses, the broad surfaces / year sprayed and the seniority in the task varied according to region pointing very different risk scenarios across the province. One of the ecological areas, which it has recently joined the agricultural activity, showed workers with safer job practices in comparison to ecological areas traditionally engaged in agricultural activities. The lack of use of agronomic recipe also raises significant environmental risks.