Safe Chemical Handling by Agrochemical Users in Plateau State, Nigeria

Agrochemical use has been increasing in both developing and the developed nations. The unsafe handling and use of agrochemicals can lead to accumulation of hazardous chemicals in the body, causing adverse effects on health. This quantitative cross sectional study sought to understand the level of awareness, practices, and perceptions of safe chemical handling by agrochemical using the Theory of Planned Behavior. This study was conducted among 260 farmers in Plateau State, Nigeria. Data on background knowledge and practices of safe agrochemical handling by farmers were collected using a structured paper based, interviewer-administered questionnaire. Descriptive statistics revealed that the most practiced precautions by participants were washing work clothes separately (56.9%) and taking a shower soon after application of agrochemicals (53.6%). Findings from this study suggest that farmers had good knowledge of safe use of agrochemicals and majority of them 91.9% were knowledgeable about the possible effects of these chemicals on health. A Chi square test showed a statistically significant association between marital status and engagement in safe agrochemical handling X2 (2, N = 260) = 7.34, p \u3c. 05 and level of education X2 (4, N = 260) = 35.12, p \u3c. 05. Results of Binary logistic regression indicated that the variable training on safe agrochemical handling with an odds ratio 8.31 was a good predictor for safe agrochemical handling An important finding in this study however was a low level of adoption for the use of Personal Protective Equipment. Priority should be given to developing safety educational and certification programs for farmers with emphasis on the safe handling practices