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BMC Public Health
Published in: BMC Public Health 1/2016

Open Access 01-12-2016 | Research article

Occupational hazards and health cost of women cotton pickers in Pakistani Punjab

Authors: Khuda Bakhsh, Naeem Ahmad, M. Asif Kamran, Sarfraz Hassan, Qasir Abbas, Rashed Saeed, M. Sadiq Hashmi

Published in: BMC Public Health | Issue 1/2016

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Abstract

Background

Farm workers and female cotton pickers are exposed to residual impacts of pesticide use in cotton production, in addition to dust, ultraviolet radiation, etc. Cotton picking causes various health hazards among cotton pickers with varied health cost. A soil bacterium known as Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is incorporated in cotton seed through genetic modification and it has resistance against certain bollworms of cotton. So it is considered that Bt cotton fields have less pesticide exposure compared to non-Bt cotton fields. This study was designed to examine and compare the impacts and health cost of cotton picking among female cotton pickers working in Bt and non-Bt cotton fields.

Methods

The study used the data collected from Vehari district of Pakistani Punjab. Health hazards and associated health cost of the respondents involved in Bt cotton picking were compared with those who harvested non-Bt cotton. Comparative use of the personal protective measures among those respondents was also examined. Health cost function and its determinants were analyzed using ordinary least square method.

Results

Findings of the study showed that 61 % cotton pickers from Bt cotton households reported one or more health effects of pesticide during picking season whereas this percentage for non-Bt cotton households was 66 %. Health impacts included skin problems, headache, cough, flu/fever, eye irritation and sleeplessness, however, percentage of these health impacts was comparatively higher among non-Bt cotton households. Health cost from exposure to pesticide use in cotton was US$ 5.74 and 2.91 per season for non-Bt cotton and Bt cotton households, respectively. Education, picking in Bt cotton fields and preventive measures were significantly related with health cost.

Conclusion

Cotton pickers working in Bt cotton fields are found to have less occupational health hazards compared to those working in non-Bt cotton fields. Thus generating awareness among cotton pickers for adopting precautionary measures during harvesting and the use of Bt cotton seed can result in a decline in the ill-effects of cotton picking.
Footnotes
1
Authors acknowledge viewpoint of reviewers that female cotton pickers are exposed to diverse nature of pollutants.
 
2
Here literate means those who can read and write a few words.
 
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Metadata
Title
Occupational hazards and health cost of women cotton pickers in Pakistani Punjab
Authors
Khuda Bakhsh
Naeem Ahmad
M. Asif Kamran
Sarfraz Hassan
Qasir Abbas
Rashed Saeed
M. Sadiq Hashmi
Publication date
01-12-2016
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Public Health / Issue 1/2016
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2458
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-016-3635-3

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