Prevalencia de intoxicaciones ocupacionales agudas por exposición a plaguicidas químicos de uso agrícola, en una empresa dedicada a la producción de banano, palma y servicio de fumigación aérea ubicada en la provincia de Los Ríos periodo 2018-2021

Abstract

Objectives: The objective of the study is to determine the prevalence of acute occupational poisoning caused by chemical pesticides used in the agricultural area and the possible factors of occupational and individual risks in employees of a company dedicated to the production of bananas, African palm and that offers aerial fumigation service, during the period 2018 - 2021. Method: The present study is a descriptive, retrospective, cross-sectional, non-experimental analysis. The population to study is 334 employees of a company located in the province of Los Ríos, distributed as follows: 186 in banana production of which 80 are administrative, 109 in the African palm plantations and 39 workers in the aerial spraying service, of which 305 are men and 29 are women. Data collection will be carried out systematically through the analysis of occupational medical records, to record the study variables a spreadsheet will be created using Microsoft Office Excel 2016. The absolute frequencies and percentages of occupational poisonings and risk factors will be calculated. Expected Results: This study hopes to obtain a description of the prevalence of acute occupational poisonings in men and women, and the occupational and individual risk factors associated with them. The occupational exposure time, job position, most common contact route, type of acute poisoning and the pesticide most involved in poisoning will be described, obtaining a first impression of the current situation of the company. Implications; The results of this research project will provide reliable information that will allow the development of preventive and corrective measures in the company in order to reduce acute poisonings produced by exposure to pesticides for agricultural use. It would also serve as a first reference study in the province of Los Ríos, providing information on biosecurity in the handling of pesticides for agricultural use, as well as the continuous monitoring of safety matrices, standardizing procedures in the different processes of the crops and take preventive measures. Among the limitations we find a large percentage of incomplete medical records, for which it will not be possible to obtain a result from the entire study population, as well as the cases that were not reported due to the fact that the workers did not go to the medical service. As a strength, this work will help to promote prevention and the importance of periodic control of workers, to monitor the physical and mental state, benefiting the agricultural community and therefore in the yield for the production of crops in the province of Los Ríos and boosting the country's economy.