The health impacts of pesticide use on sugarcane farmers in Fiji.

A survey conducted among sugarcane farmers in Fiji found significant differences in the incidence of chronic illness and disease between users of pesticides and a nonuser control group. Though average production of sugarcane was markedly higher among pesticide users, average annual medical expenditures were also significantly higher. Advanced technological methods including chemical pesticides require a system of institutional support to provide, inter alia, information for an effective transition from traditional to modern agricultural practices. Without that support the ad hoc application of technology may result in inefficiency and, in the case of pesticides, increased health risks among the farm population. Besides practical handling and application advice farmers require information describing the chronic health impacts of pesticide exposure to allow their weighing of the full costs of pesticide use against the production benefits.