A comprehensive research regarding the use of agricultural pesticides in the Gulf Region: The case of Batinah Coast in the Sultanate of Oman

This study was designed to provide a comprehensive set of information about the knowledge and behaviors of open field and greenhouse workers and pesticide traders regarding agricultural pesticides in the Sultanate of Oman. The study utilized survey questionnaire, structured and non-structured interviews, and site observations to obtain the required data. The analyses of the data sets collected indicated that virtually all the respondent open field and greenhouse workers are migrant workers, mostly from India and Pakistan. Also the highest levels of education of the respondents are relatively low as more than three-quarters of the workers did not go beyond primary school education.;The information obtained from the data sets suggests that all the three sub-groups are exposed to high levels of agricultural pesticide contamination on the farms, greenhouses, shops, and in their homes. Notwithstanding the high levels of exposure to pesticide contamination, the respondents rarely used personal protective equipment/clothing such as gloves, face masks, nose masks, boots and overalls. The most predominant reason given especially by the farm workers was that these equipments were not "supplied to the workers".;Also, the level of knowledge of the respondents regarding agricultural pesticides and the adverse health effects of the chemicals are low. For example, the respondents belonging to the three sub-groups---open field workers, greenhouse workers and the pesticide traders did not seem to associate established/confirmed symptoms of agricultural pesticides with these chemicals. Similarly, they do not seem to know that agricultural pesticides have disproportionately adverse health effects on the elderly and children, and that these chemicals leave residues on plants, and that pesticides may contaminate groundwater.;This research strongly recommends that all pesticide applicators and traders must undergo mandatory training regarding agricultural pesticides. At the minimum, the training ought to include basic knowledge of agricultural pesticides, the need for the use of personal protective equipment/clothing, and the adverse health and environmental effects of the misuse of agricultural pesticides. Also, the government needs to enact policies regulating the importation, labeling, and use of pesticides, and ensure that pesticide applicators wear protective clothing.