Health Risk Assessment of Carbofuran Exposure Water Vegetable Farmers in Khi-lek Subdistrict, Mueang District, Ubon Ratchathani Province

Abstract

This cross–sectional study aimed to determine the level of contamination with the pesticide carbofuran in water, and to examine health risks associated with water contamination with carbofuran residues among vegetable farmers. We obtained a representative sample of farmers using carbofuran on their vegetable crops by recruiting 485 households in villages 5, 8, 9, and 10 in Khi-lek Subdistrict, Mueang District, Ubon Ratchathani Province, Thailand. Study participants completed our questionnaire. We also obtained ten water samples from the water sources from which the farmers were using to irrigate their vegetables at the time of research. High performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS) were used to determine the concentrations of carbofuran residues in water samples. Our study period was from January 2021 to March 2022. The results showed that the average concentration was less than 0.001 mg/L in all areas. Thus, farmers in our study were at an acceptable risk for carbofuran exposure from water due to the hazard quotient (HQ) being less than or equal to 1. However, the farmers have continued to utilize carbofuran in their vegetable production, notwithstanding the risk. Therefore, relevant organizations or subdistrict health promotion hospitals in the area responsible for these farmers should regulate pesticide use among the farmers. Such organizations and hospitals should also provide farmers with guidelines for safe pesticide use to reduce further chemical exposure risks.