Citation

Khan N, Kennedy A, Cotton J, Brumby S. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019; 16(8): e16081327.

Affiliation

National Centre for Farmer Health, Western District Health Service, Hamilton, VIC 3300, Australia. susan.brumby@deakin.edu.au.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, MDPI: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute)

DOI

10.3390/ijerph16081327

PMID

31013861

Abstract

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.

Language: en

Keywords

Total Worker Health; agrichemical; chronic toxicity; farming; low-level exposure; mental health; organophosphate; pesticide; suicide