A rapid assessment manual developed by a Florida anthropologist could help agricultural communities gauge their levels of pesticide exposure.
Elizabeth Guillette, best known for her study of Mexican children exposed to pesticides, said the 31-page manual shows how to get started, what to ask and look for and how to analyze the findings.
By using the manual to train volunteers, form committees and create questionnaires, she said a community could determine its health without expensive outside studies and consultants.
During a presentation at a Saskatchewan Environmental Society seminar May 14, Guillette explained a study she conducted of Yaqui Indian preschoolers in Mexico from 1996 to 2002.
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She compared children living in the foothills, where traditional agricultural practices were still in use, with those from the valley, where agricultural and household pesticides were used extensively.
Guillette found valley children had more difficulty doing simple tasks like drawing human figures, balancing on one leg or catching a ball. She also noted an earlier onset of puberty.
Two years later, she repeated the study and found valley children still lagging behind the foothills children developmentally. They also had a higher rate of health problems.
These results translate into children with lower IQs, poor co-ordination and lack of energy, she said.
“Try and do a basic blue collar job when you don’t have the energy levels, when they don’t have the dexterity to manage equipment like computers in today’s world,” she said.
The five IQ point difference that she found between the two groups of children also has serious implications for communities of the future.
Lowered IQs could lead to greater need for educational and health services, and lost potential leaders.
“You lose geniuses, you lose the leaders of tomorrow and the creative thinkers,” she said.
“The future of a country is determined by the quality of its children.”
She urged seminar participants to limit their exposures to pesticides, wash their produce before eating and seek out natural products like vinegar.
Guillette also recommended cutting fat off meat because pesticides may be stored in fatty tissues. Vary the diet and choose more naturally produced food, she said.
While her Mexican study did little to change modern farm practice in the valley, Guillette felt her close contact with local mothers led to decreased use of household chemicals.
Check-up steps
- Research the local scene, identify contamination and its possible effects.
- Present this information to a small group and get input from local community and government leaders.
- Studies may show differences between two similar groups of people, one with normal levels of environmental risks and one with higher pesticide use.
- The survey should include clear, simple questions, such as how would you describe your water, how do you dispose of garbage, how would you rate your own health, and what is the air like inside and outside your home?
- Besides asking questions, interviewers should observe participants’ behaviour and activities. Include personal histories and other data. To increase participation rates, assign an identification number to each participant to protect personal information.
- Analyze results. A number of computer programs are available that can help.
- Prepare the report and make conclusions, then present the findings.
– Source: Elizabeth Guillette
