Dr Jacquie Cotton – The National Centre for Farmer Health
A recent study provides new information that may help researchers monitor the effects of common agricultural chemicals on farmers’ health.
Concern over how the regular use of pesticides may affect the health of farmers is not new, but a lack of data specific to the Australian context has hampered efforts to develop evidence-based guidelines.
Now, the results of a study by the National Centre for Farmer Health (NCFH), a partnership between Deakin University’s School of Medicine and Western District Health Service, will help develop a new test to monitor farmers’ exposure to pesticides and provide valuable longitudinal data about Australian farmers and their chemical use.
The study, funded by the Shepherd Foundation Victoria, followed 64 farmers from different regions and farming types over 12 months, testing them each month for levels of cholinesterase enzymes.
Read full article: 2017-4-19: New test to reveal pesticide exposure – Deakin Research News
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