Safety Measures, Pesticide Concerns and Resources Utilized among Young Adult Workers: A Brief Report

Resources on pesticide information are widely available; however, little is known about the concerns young agricultural workers have about pesticides, whether they use existing resources to find information about pesticides, and how these resources influence safety behaviors such as personal protective equipment (PPE) use.

To examine demographic characteristics, safety measures, concerns about pesticide use and resources for pesticide information.

Young agricultural workers were recruited through three collegiate agricultural programs and completed an online questionnaire related to pesticide safety and use.

Most participants who applied pesticides reported always wearing gloves (60.5%), using a tractor with an enclosed cab (68.4%), and always wearing long pants (76.3%). Among all participants, pesticide drift to crops (65.1%) and water contamination (62.3%) were the biggest concerns among young agricultural workers. The internet was the most utilized source to locate information about pesticides (76.4%), with the most common internet resources being online materials from universities or colleges (71.6%), the government (69.1%), or pesticide companies (66.7%). Accessibility (90.6%) and speed (78.3%) were the most common reasons for using the internet for information. Misinformation was the most common barrier (80.2%).

Future studies should examine the accuracy and accessibility of pesticide information available on the internet since young adult workers rely on these resources for pesticide information.