Editing Pesticide (section)

==== Pesticide use among agricultural workers ====
The World Health Organization and the [[UN Environment Programme]] estimate that 3&nbsp;million agricultural workers in the developing world experience severe [[Pesticide poisoning|poisoning from pesticides]] each year, resulting in 18,000 deaths.<ref name="sustaining"/> According to one study, as many as 25&nbsp;million workers in developing countries may suffer mild pesticide poisoning yearly.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Jeyaratnam J |title=Acute pesticide poisoning: a major global health problem |journal=World Health Statistics Quarterly. Rapport Trimestriel de Statistiques Sanitaires Mondiales |volume=43 |issue=3 |pages=139–44 |year=1990 |pmid=2238694}}</ref> Other occupational exposures besides agricultural workers, including pet groomers, [[Groundskeeping|groundskeepers]], and [[Fumigation|fumigators]], may also put individuals at risk of health effects from pesticides.<ref name=":2"/>

Pesticide use is widespread in [[Latin America]], as around US$3&nbsp;billion are spent each year in the region. Records indicate an increase in the frequency of pesticide poisonings over the past two decades. The most common incidents of pesticide poisoning is thought to result from exposure to organophosphate and carbamate insecticides.<ref name=":12">{{Cite journal |vauthors=Laborde A, Tomasina F, Bianchi F, Bruné M, Buka I, Comba P, Corra L, Cori L, Duffert CM |date=2015 |title=Children's Health in Latin America: The Influence of Environmental Exposures |journal=Environmental Health Perspectives |volume=123 |issue=3 |pages=201–209 |doi=10.1289/ehp.1408292 |issn=0091-6765 |pmc=4348745 |pmid=25499717|bibcode=2015EnvHP.123..201L }}</ref> At-home pesticide use, use of unregulated products, and the role of undocumented workers within the agricultural industry makes characterizing true pesticide exposure a challenge. It is estimated that 50–80% of pesticide poisoning cases are unreported.

Underreporting of pesticide poisoning is especially common in areas where agricultural workers are less likely to seek care from a healthcare facility that may be monitoring or tracking the incidence of acute poisoning. The extent of unintentional pesticide poisoning may be much greater than available data suggest, particularly among developing countries. Globally, agriculture and food production remain one of the largest industries. In East Africa, the agricultural industry represents one of the largest sectors of the economy, with nearly 80% of its population relying on agriculture for income.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Agriculture & Food Security |website=www.eac.int |url=https://www.eac.int/agriculture#:~:text=The%20major%20food%20crops%20are,tobacco,%20coconut%20and%20cashew%20nuts.|access-date=2020-11-30}}</ref> Farmers in these communities rely on pesticide products to maintain high crop yields.

Some East Africa governments are shifting to [[corporate farming]], and opportunities for foreign conglomerates to operate commercial farms have led to more accessible research on pesticide use and exposure among workers. In other areas where large proportions of the population rely on subsistence, small-scale farming, estimating pesticide use and exposure is more difficult.