Assessment of dermal exposure to pesticides among oil palm plantation workers

The use of pesticides by agricultural workers, particularly in the oil palm industry, poses significant health risks, especially through dermal exposure, a route often overlooked. Despite the use of gloves, improper selection, use, and maintenance may still lead to exposure. This study focuses on pesticide handlers, assessing glove effectiveness, the risk of cross-contamination, and the impact of pesticide exposure on blood cholinesterase levels. A laboratory glove permeation test, field observational study using the DREAM method, and blood cholinesterase tests before and after exposure were employed. Statistical analyses included a t-test to assess the significant difference in cumulative permeation through the gloves. The findings showed no significant difference in glove permeation and potential skin contact, indicating that crosscontamination could occur during pesticides handling, with approximately 78.21% (183 workers) affected and 37.96% (89 workers) at risk of torso back exposure. Additionally, while 68% of workers had normal cholinesterase levels, 6% exhibited severe overexposure despite using personal protective equipment (PPE). The Kruskal-Wallis test was applied to identify opportunities for cross-contamination, while ordinal logistic regression was utilized to evaluate the impact of varying pesticide handling practices on workers’ cholinesterase levels. This study highlights the need for better glove inspection and maintenance practices and emphasizes the importances of refining standard operating procedure (SOPs) to address work practices and behaviours that may contribute to pesticide exposure. These measures are essential to enhancing worker safety and reducing health risks in the oil palm plantation sector.