Matthews

(2008) reported problems with the use of leaking lances especially in the African PARP inhibitor countries, and the regression analyses in this study indicate that this is a factor linked to health incidents. Matthews (2008) also noted that the proportion of users wearing the minimum recommended wear for spraying (long sleeved shirt, long trousers and boots/shoes) was low in some countries, especially some Asian countries where many users did not wear any form of foot protection in muddy fields. However, not wearing three key items of PPE was not shown to be associated with an increased risk of health incidents, even though it must increase the risk of exposure when users do not take other measures to protect themselves such as spraying downwind (encouragingly, almost 80% of users were aware of the need to do this). The full survey (Matthews 2008) also indicated a need for better education about secure storage and disposal, and this is being addressed as part of a wider approach to accidental and deliberate misuse of crop protection products. The survey did not focus specifically on the sale of crop protection products, but the survey has shown that the distributor/supplier is the main source of PS-341 mw information about safe use. It is clear that greater emphasis needs to be placed on their training as in the UK where those involved

in the sale, advice or supply of crop protection products are required to possess certification of training. In conclusion, the survey indicates that the incidence of agrochemical-related incidents in some countries is high, especially in the African

countries that were surveyed. The symptoms were often minor but about a third of brands that users said caused health effects, gave problems every time they were used. However, the survey also suggests that agrochemical-related incidents requiring medical or hospital treatment amongst high risk groups of users in many of the countries were no more common than would be expected amongst users in a developed country such as the US. Insecticide-related health problems were 5–10 times more common than would be expected on the basis of the spraying time. Time spent spraying insecticides was significantly associated Ribonucleotide reductase with the risk of an agrochemical-related incident of any severity, but the association was weaker than expected given that almost 80% of incidents were blamed on insecticides. The most important factors influencing whether an individual reported one or more agrochemical incidents were failure to exercise caution measured by whether users had incidents involving agricultural equipment or livestock and lack of confidence in their practices. Acknowledgments This study was funded by Syngenta Crop Protection AG, Basel, Switzerland.