Cholinesterase Research Outreach Project (CROP): measuring cholinesterase activity and pesticide use in an agricultural community

Australian farmers and their workers are exposed to a wide variety of pesticides. Organophosphate (OP) insecticides are a widely used class of pesticide used for animal husbandry practices (Naphthalophos for sheep dipping, jetting and drench), crop production for pest control (Dimethoate) and in public health (Maldison for head lice). Acute poisonings with this class of insecticide are reported among agricultural workers and children around the globe, due to the inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Less is known about chronic exposures. Regular monitoring of erythrocyte AChE will enable farmers to identify potential exposure to organophosphate insecticides and take action to reduce exposures and improve their health and safety practices. This study aims to assess and improve the integration of AChE monitoring into routine point of care health clinics, and provide farming and non-farming people with a link between their AChE activity and their household chemical and agrichemical use.

Farmer Health E-News – August 2015

See all the latest happenings at Farmer Health!

Newsletter August 2015

Farmer Health News

See all the latest happenings at Farmer Health

 NCFH Newsletter July 2015

A call for Volunteers for new Fitter Farmers study

Improving Farmer Health:
A Call for Volunteers for New Study

Fitter Farmers? A comparison of physical activity levels in agricultural, regional and urban workforces

The National Centre for Farmer Health is seeking participants for a new study to investigate just how active Victorian farmers are.

Exercise is increasingly recognised as being protective against chronic disease, and beneficial to mental health. However, little is known about physical activity levels of farmers, or how they compare to other workforces. This means that the development of effective physical activity programs or recommendations to improve farmer health and prevent disease is challenging.

The ‘Fitter Farmers’ study is seeking full-time workers over the age of 18, from one of three groups:

• Farm-based agricultural workers located within 150km of Hamilton, Victoria
• Regional workers employed within Western District Health Service or ANZ regional branches
• Urban workers, who work in the Geelong or Melbourne areas

If you decide to participate, you will be asked to wear a FitBit and an ActivPal physical activity tracker. Over a 7-day period, the devices will record time spent in sitting, standing and stepping activities. You will also be asked to complete two 30-minute interviews, to keep track of what type of activities you do in a normal work day.

We hope that with your help we can find out more about the levels of physical activity of agricultural and regional workers in Victoria, and develop better health programs for Australian farmers.

Further information and application

If you have any questions, or would like to speak with the research team about joining the Fitter Farmers project, please get in touch.

Dr Vanessa Vaughan
Researcher
School of Medicine
Deakin University    Tel (03) 5551 8533
v.vaughan@deakin.edu.au

2015-06-17 Technology to combat Australian farmer suicide – Deakin University

In response to Australia’s alarming male suicide rate, “beyondblue” will fund the National Centre for Farmer Health (NCFH) to lead an innovative project that uses technology, such as apps and websites – and evidence-based techniques – to encourage male farmers to take action on mental illness.

The project, called “The Ripple Effect,” is being funded through donations from the Movember Foundation and is one of six new “beyondblue” projects that aim to tackle suicide through technology, each targeting different demographics of Australian men.

“The Ripple Effect” will target Australia’s farming community, where many males are known to avoid seeking help – particularly for mental health issues – and believe they should demonstrate toughness and self-reliance, rather than emotional vulnerability. Self-stigma and perceived-stigma is common and can be extremely debilitating.

The Ripple Effect – Reducing Stigma

….

Read the full article:

2015-06-17 Technology to combat Australian farmer suicide – Deakin University

Locust sprays – advice for farmer & health workers

Advice for farmers

Use of chemicals for the management of Australian plague Locust can present risks to farmers. Prior to using any pesticide, check the relevant labels, any permits and the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for respective precautions and recommendations regarding personal protective equipment (PPE). Agriculture Victoria is encouraging farmers to control this pest in Victoria, by watching for Australian plague locusts on their property and spraying with insecticides.

Take care when handling chemicals

• Follow manufacturer’s instructions carefully.
• Store chemicals away from animal feed, seed, fertiliser and personal protective equipment (PPE).
• Keep chemicals in their original containers and don’t remove labels.
• Ask your supplier for a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) if you don’t understand the instructions on the containers.
• Transport with care, don’t transport chemicals inside the cabin of a vehicle; always secure your load.

Use personal protective equipment (PPE)

PPE for use with insecticides may include:

• Chemical resistant boots
• Long sleeve (elbow length) PVC gloves
• Eye and face protection (face shield, safety glasses, safety goggles)
• Long sleeve disposable overalls
• A washable hat
• A respirator

Fit respirators carefully

If you use a respirator:

• Check it is the appropriate one for the job (specified on the label or MSDS)
• Ensure you are using the correct filter
• Make sure it fits correctly. Certain factors like facial hair affect the respirator’s performance and a clean shave is required. An ill-fitting respirator will not protect your from exposure to chemicals.

Pay attention to personal hygiene

Personal hygiene is very important when working with insecticides:

• Do not remove contaminated work clothing form the work site.
• Wash contaminated clothing separately.
• Wash your hands before eating, drinking or smoking.
• Keep chemicals away from food and drinks.

Seek help if you don’t feel well

If you experience any unusual symptoms, like dizziness, nausea, vomiting, skin rashes or burns, seek medical help immediately. Call the National Poisons Information Centre

Tel. 13 11 26

Chemicals used to control locusts

A number of insecticide products are available for the treatment of Australian plague locusts. These products fall into four broad groups:

• Biological insecticides (eg. Metharizium, Green Guard).
• Organophosphate and carbamate insecticides containing fenitrothion, chlorpyrifos, diazinon, maldison (malathion) or carbaryl (eg. Fenitrothion 1000).
• Phenylpyrazole insecticides containing fipronil.
• Synthetic pyrethroid insecticides containing cypermethrin, alpha-cypermethrin, beta-cyfluthrin, lambda-cyhalothrin and gamma-cyhalothrin (eg. Regent 200SC).

Advice for health workers 

Management of locust spray contamination

General practitioners and health services may see patients who have been contaminated with or ingested chemicals used to spray locusts.

While it is important to identify (where possible) the chemical that may be involved, symptomatic patients should be treated on their clinical merit.

Inadvertent exposure may occur during handling and dilution or because of a road traffic accident involving a vehicle transporting chemicals. In rare occasions it may also occur due to spray drift.

Reporting

If a number of patients from the same area present with symptoms attributable to chemical exposure, clinicians should report it to regional health services who will notify the Department of Health via the relevant regional office.

Fast facts:

• Farmers and farm workers need to take care when using sprays.
• Clinicians should be aware of possible contamination symptoms.

Image by Shirt58 – Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chortoicetes_terminifera_(Walker)_cain629.jpg

2015-06-23 A positive Ripple Effect – Stock and Land

beyondblue and The Movember Foundation have got behind The Ripple Effect campaign to help reduce the stigma of rural suicide.

The Ripple Effect is an online tool allowing men from the farming community to work shoulder to shoulder in the fight against the stigma of rural suicide—turning the negative ripple of suicide into a positive ripple of support.

It will be available on multiple platforms—from personal computers to the latest smartphones and tablets—to ensure that everyone can connect and contribute.

beyondblue and Movember have support The Ripple Effect as one of six projects that use technology along with evidence-based techniques to show men that taking action on mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of. The beyondblue and Movember partnership to fund these six projects is called The STRIDE project (Stigma Reduction Interventions: Digital Environments) and it will be a world-leading research project involving thousands of men, including former Australian rules footballers, farmers, refugees and fly-in-fly-out workers, which aims to end the embarrassment that stops men from getting help for conditions such as depression and anxiety.

This Ripple Effect is a partnership between beyondblue, Deakin University, the National Centre for Farmer Health, Western District Health Service, the Victorian Farmers Federation, AgChatOZ, Sandpit and the Mental Illness Fellowship of North Queensland.

…

Read the full article:

2015-06-23 A positive Ripple Effect – Stock and Land

2015-06-18 New project to reduce suicide and stigma about mental health issues – The Weekly Times

REDUCING stigma about mental health issues is the focus of a new suicide-reduction project.

To mark International Men’s Health Week, Beyondblue announced $440,000 over two years for The Ripple Effect.

The interactive digital program, which aims to reduce the number of male suicides by changing the way farmers think about mental health, will be headed by the National Centre for Farmer Health and Deakin University.

Sue Brumby from the NCFH said the project would interact with farmers via their phones, fax or online.

“It’s an exciting way to work with farming communities,” Dr Brumby said.

“It will allow people to engage, anywhere, any time,” she said.

…

Read the full article:

2015-06-18 New project to reduce suicide and stigma about mental health issues – The Weekly Times

2015-06-17 Troy Luff tackles stigma of mental illness, a real killer for men – The Sydney Morning Herald

The irony is not lost on former Sydney Swans great Troy Luff.

Fifteen years ago, when the AFL footballer was mired deep in debilitating depression, he feared he would appear weak if he revealed mental illness had eroded his motivation.

It’s about people crossing the street not to talk to you, because suicide is seen as different to having a heart attack and dying.

Professor Susan Brumby

But keeping it to himself actually weakened Luff in other ways, most tellingly his football career.

As the 2001 season neared its end he decided there was no way he could continue and told the coach he was going to retire.

It was not until he found the strength – just weeks from the end of the season – to seek psychological help that things began to shift and he played the final game.

“I ended up taking a mark and finished the game with a ball in my hand,” Luff says.

A new research project will encourage thousands of Australian men – including Aussie rules footballers, refugees, fly-in-fly-out workers and farmers – to consider the stigma that surrounds divulging their mental health issues.

Each year nearly 2000 Australian men die by suicide – about double the number who die on the roads.

…

Read the full article: 

2015-0617 Troy Luff tackles stigma of mental illness, a real killer for men – The Sydney Morning Herald

2015-06-17 Troy Luff tackles stigma of mental illness, a real killer for men – The Age

The irony is not lost on former Sydney Swans great Troy Luff.

Fifteen years ago, when the AFL footballer was mired deep in debilitating depression, he feared he would appear weak if he revealed mental illness had eroded his motivation.

It’s about people crossing the street not to talk to you, because suicide is seen as different to having a heart attack and dying.

Professor Susan Brumby

But keeping it to himself actually weakened Luff in other ways, most tellingly his football career.

As the 2001 season neared its end he decided there was no way he could continue and told the coach he was going to retire.

It was not until he found the strength – just weeks from the end of the season – to seek psychological help that things began to shift and he played the final game.

“I ended up taking a mark and finished the game with a ball in my hand,” Luff says.

A new research project will encourage thousands of Australian men – including Aussie rules footballers, refugees, fly-in-fly-out workers and farmers – to consider the stigma that surrounds divulging their mental health issues.

Each year nearly 2000 Australian men die by suicide – about double the number who die on the roads.

…

Read the full article: 

2015-0617 Troy Luff tackles stigma of mental illness, a real killer for men – The Age

2015-06-17 New project will save lives of Australian men – beyondblue

A world-first research project involving thousands of men, including former Australian rules footballers, refugees and fly-in-fly-out workers, will aim to end the embarrassment that stops them from getting help for conditions such as depression and anxiety.

The STRIDE (Stigma Reduction Interventions: Digital Environments) project is comprised of six smaller projects that use technology, such as apps and websites, along with evidence-based techniques to show men that taking action on mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of. It is funded by beyondblue with donations from The Movember Foundation and has been unveiled to coincide with Men’s Health Week this week.

beyondblue CEO Georgie Harman said STRIDE was a response to the shocking number of men who die by suicide in Australia each year, which is almost double the number who die on our roads. …

Read the full article:

2015-06-17 New project will save lives of Australian men – beyondblue

The Ripple Effect
Partners: Deakin University, National Centre for Farmer Health, Victorian Farmers Federation, AgChatOz, Mental Illness Fellowship North Queensland, Western District Health Service, Sandpit
What it is: An online education program for farmers affected by suicide