Evaluating and Enhancing an Educational Intervention to Reduce Smallholder Farmers' Exposure to Pesticides in Uganda Through a Digital, Systematic Approach to Behavior Change: Protocol for a Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Smallholder farmers receive educational interventions on safe pesticide handling by governmental agencies, industries, or nongovernmental organizations to reduce exposure risks. However, existing educational interventions have limited effects on changing behaviors. Targeting psychosocial determinants of behavior change in educational interventions through theory- and evidence-based approaches may enhance their effectiveness.

Method and process towards developing a Health Vulnerability Index (HVI) for Extreme Weather Events (EWEs) for local residents in South Africa.

An increase in incidence and amplitude of extreme weather events (EWEs) linked to climate change, has resulted in greater human exposure and vulnerability to weather-related health effects. Increases in the occurrence of EWEs, including storms, flooding, extreme heat and wildfires, will impact health globally, with poor and vulnerable populations disproportionately affected. Vulnerability to EWEs, and the ability to adapt to these weather shocks, are influenced by existing physical, social and political limitations of a given region.

DDT contamination in water resources of some African countries and its impact on water quality and human health.

Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) usage has been prohibited in developed nations since 1972 but is exempted for use in indoor residual spraying (IRS) in developing countries, including African countries, for malaria control. There have been no previous reviews on DDT residues in water resources in Africa. The study aimed to provide a review of available research investigating the levels of DDT residues in water sources in Africa and to assess the consequent human health risks.

Child exposure to organophosphate and pyrethroid insecticides measured in urine, wristbands, and household dust and its implications for child health in South Africa: A panel study.

Background: Children in agricultural areas are exposed to organophosphate (OP) and pyrethroid (PYR) insecticides. This explorative study investigated child exposure to OPs and PYRs, comparing temporal and spatial exposure variability within and among urine, wristbands, and dust samples.

Methods: During spraying season 2018, 38 South African children in two agricultural areas (Grabouw/Hex River Valley) and settings (farm/village) participated in a seven-day study.

The Association Between Urinary Concentrations of Organophosphate Metabolites and Asthma-Related Outcomes Among Schoolchildren From Informal Settlements.

There is inconsistent evidence on the relationship between pesticide exposure and childhood respiratory outcomes in non-agricultural settings. This study investigated the association between organophosphate (OP) pesticide exposure and asthma-related outcomes in children residing in four informal settlements. The study was a longitudinal study of 590 schoolchildren, with a 12 months follow-up period.

The impact of extreme weather events on mental health in Africa: A scoping review of the evidence.

Introduction: The psychosocial impacts of extreme weather events are contributing to the burden of mental illness, exacerbated by pre-existing vulnerabilities. Despite an emerging global interest in this association, Africa remains poorly represented in the literature.

Methods: A scoping review of peer-reviewed studies was conducted to determine the adverse mental health outcomes associated with extreme weather events in Africa (2008-2021).

Non-optimal apparent temperature and cardiovascular mortality: the association in Puducherry, India between 2011 and 2020.

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), the leading cause of death worldwide, are sensitive to temperature. In light of the reported climate change trends, it is important to understand the burden of CVDs attributable to temperature, both hot and cold. The association between CVDs and temperature is region-specific, with relatively few studies focusing on low-and middle-income countries.

Human Exposure to Pesticides in Dust from Two Agricultural Sites in South Africa.

Over the last decades, concern has arisen worldwide about the negative impacts of pesticides on the environment and human health. Exposure via dust ingestion is important for many chemicals but poorly characterized for pesticides, particularly in Africa. We investigated the spatial and temporal variations of 30 pesticides in dust and estimated the human exposure via dust ingestion, which was compared to inhalation and soil ingestion.

Ensemble averaging using remote sensing data to model spatiotemporal PM concentrations in sparsely monitored South Africa.

There is a paucity of air quality data in sub-Saharan African countries to inform science driven air quality management and epidemiological studies. We investigated the use of available remote-sensing aerosol optical depth (AOD) data to develop spatially and temporally resolved models to predict daily particulate matter (PM) concentrations across four provinces of South Africa (Gauteng, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape) for the year 2016 in a two-staged approach. In stage 1, a Random Forest (RF) model was used to impute Multiangle Implementation of Atmospheric Correction AOD data for days where it was missing.

Interventions to Reduce Pesticide Exposure from the Agricultural Sector in Africa: A Workshop Report.

Despite the fact that several cases of unsafe pesticide use among farmers in different parts of Africa have been documented, there is limited evidence regarding which specific interventions are effective in reducing pesticide exposure and associated risks to human health and ecology. The overall goal of the African Pesticide Intervention Project (APsent) study is to better understand ongoing research and public health activities related to interventions in Africa through the implementation of suitable target-specific situations or use contexts. A systematic review of the scientific literature on pesticide intervention studies with a focus on Africa was conducted.

Pesticide Research on Environmental and Human Exposure and Risks in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Literature Review.

On the African continent, ongoing agriculture intensification is accompanied by the increasing use of pesticides, associated with environmental and public health concerns. Using a systematic literature review, we aimed to map current geographical research hotspots and gaps around environmental and public health risks research of agriculture pesticides in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Studies were included that collected primary data on past and current-used agricultural pesticides and assessed their environmental occurrence, related knowledge, attitude and practice, human exposure, and environmental or public health risks between 2006 and 2021.

Ambient Air Pollution and Cardiorespiratory Outcomes amongst Adults Residing in Four Informal Settlements in the Western Province of South Africa.

Few studies have investigated the relationship between ambient air pollution and cardiorespiratory outcomes in Africa. A cross-sectional study comprising of 572 adults from four informal settlements in the Western Cape, South Africa was conducted. Participants completed a questionnaire adapted from the European Community Respiratory Health Survey, and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey questionnaire.

Quantitative assessment of multiple pesticides in silicone wristbands of children/guardian pairs living in agricultural areas in South Africa.

Little is known about personal and time-integrated exposure to past and current used pesticides in agricultural areas and within-family exposure similarities. We aimed to assess exposure to pesticides using silicone wristbands in child/guardian pairs living on farms and in villages within two agricultural areas in South Africa. Using silicone wristbands, we quantified 21 pesticides in child/guardian pairs in 38 households over six days in 2018.

Seasonal variations in air concentrations of 27 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and 25 current-use pesticides (CUPs) across three agricultural areas of South Africa.

For decades pesticides have been used in agriculture, however, the occurrence of legacy organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and current-use pesticides (CUPs) is poorly understood in Africa. This study investigates air concentrations of OCPs and CUPs in three South African agricultural areas, their spatial/seasonal variations and mixture profiles. Between 2017 and 2018, 54 polyurethane foam-disks passive air-samplers (PUF-PAS) were positioned in three agricultural areas of the Western Cape, producing mainly apples, table grapes and wheat.

Environmental and occupational pesticide exposure and human sperm parameters: A Navigation Guide review.

Global sperm counts have declined in recent decades, coinciding with the proliferation of endocrine-disrupting chemicals, of which pesticides are some of the most common. Previous systematic reviews of epidemiologic studies published between 1991 through 2013 have reported associations between environmental and occupational pesticide exposure and reduced sperm quality, particularly associations with reduced sperm concentration. This systematic review used the Navigation Guide to critically evaluate the current body of evidence examining sperm quality and pesticide exposure in epidemiological studies.

Current use pesticides in soil and air from two agricultural sites in South Africa: Implications for environmental fate and human exposure.

Concerns about the possible negative impacts of current use pesticides (CUPs) for both the environment and human health have increased worldwide. However, the knowledge on the occurrence of CUPs in soil and air and the related human exposure in Africa is limited. This study investigated the presence of 30 CUPs in soil and air at two distinct agricultural sites in South Africa and estimated the human exposure and related risks to rural residents via soil ingestion and inhalation (using hazard quotients, hazard index and relative potency factors).

Diarrhoea among Children Aged under Five Years and Risk Factors in Informal Settlements: A Cross-Sectional Study in Cape Town, South Africa.

Background: There is limited data on the association between diarrhoea among children aged under five years (U5D) and water use, sanitation, hygiene, and socio-economics factors in low-income communities. The study investigated U5D and the associated risk factors in the Zeekoe catchment in Cape Town, South Africa.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 707 households in six informal settlements (IS) two formal settlements (FS) (March-June 2017).

The adverse health effects associated with drought in Africa.

Droughts are associated with several health effects and Africa is uniquely vulnerable. Despite this, there has been no previous review of the literature on the health effects of drought in Africa. This study systematically reviewed the epidemiological research on the association between drought and adverse health effects in Africa (2012-2019).

Relation between organophosphate pesticide metabolite concentrations with pesticide exposures, socio-economic factors and lifestyles: A cross-sectional study among school boys in the rural Western Cape, South Africa.

Evidence on the relationship between lifestyle, socio-economic factors and pesticide exposure and urinary concentrations of organophosphate (OP) pesticide metabolites among children is generally incomplete. This study investigated the relationship between socio-economic factors and reported pesticide exposures and the sum of three urinary concentrations of dialkyl phosphate metabolites (DAP) among boys living in the rural areas of the Western Cape, South Africa. Data was collected during a cross-sectional study of 183 boys from three agricultural intense areas.

New sample preparation method to analyse 15 specific and non-specific pesticide metabolites in human urine using LC-MS/MS.

This study presents a novel sample preparation method for the determination of both specific and non-specific pesticide metabolites in human urine samples. The method combines a deconjugation step with QuEChERS-based method and solid-phase extraction. In total, 15 pesticide metabolites (diethyl phosphate; diethyl thiophosphate; dimethyl phosphate; diethyl thiophosphate; 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid; 3-phenoxybenzoic acid; 4-fluoro-3-phenoxybenzoic acid; coumaphos; diethyl dithiophosphate; malathion dicarboxylic acid; p-nitrophenol; cis/trans-3-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane carboxylic acid; 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol; N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamid and 2-isopropyl-4-methyl-6-hydroxypyrimidine) were separated using liquid chromatography coupled to a mass spectrometer and isotope dilution method for quantitation.

Association of activities related to pesticide exposure on headache severity and neurodevelopment of school-children in the rural agricultural farmlands of the Western Cape of South Africa.

Objective: Children and adolescents living in agricultural areas are likely to be exposed to mixtures of pesticides during their daily activities, which may impair their neurodevelopment. We investigated various such activities in relation to headache severity and neurodevelopment of school-children living in rural agricultural areas in the Western Cape of South Africa.

Method: We used baseline date from 1001 school-children of the Child Health Agricultural Pesticide Cohort Study in South Africa (CapSA) aged 9-16 from seven schools and three agriculture areas in the Western Cape.

Qualitative assessment of 27 current-use pesticides in air at 20 sampling sites across Africa.

Increasing use of current-use pesticides (CUPs) in Africa raises environmental and public health concerns. But there is a large uncertainty about their occurrence and the composition of pesticide mixtures on this continent. This paper investigates the presence of 27 CUPs in air across 20 sampling sites in Africa.