A Pest to Mental Health? Exploring the Link between Exposure to Agrichemicals in Farmers and Mental Health
1
School of Medicine, Deakin University, 75 Pigdons Road, Waurn Ponds, VIC 3216, Australia
2
National Centre for Farmer Health, Western District Health Service, Hamilton, VIC 3300, Australia
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(8), 1327; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16081327
Received: 29 December 2018 / Revised: 8 March 2019 / Accepted: 9 April 2019 / Published: 12 April 2019
The current literature acknowledges that occupational exposures can adversely affect mental health. This review seeks to elucidate the current understanding of the effect of agrichemical exposure on mental health in the agricultural sector, including low-dose, chronic pesticide exposure. This scoping review adopted a snowballing and saturation approach. The review highlights inconsistencies in linking poor mental health and pesticide use. While some studies specifically showed that both high- and low-dose pesticide exposure were associated with poor mental health, consistent and rigorous research methods are lacking. The review also proposes terms to delineate exposure types described in the literature. The review outcomes direct efforts to protect the health, wellbeing and safety of farming communities across the globe.
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Keywords:
agrichemical; pesticide; organophosphate; mental health; farming; suicide; low-level exposure; chronic toxicity; Total Worker Health
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MDPI and ACS Style
Khan, N.; Kennedy, A.; Cotton, J.; Brumby, S. A Pest to Mental Health? Exploring the Link between Exposure to Agrichemicals in Farmers and Mental Health. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16, 1327.
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