Health and environment
Pesticide Exposure
Definition
Pesticide exposure is contact with pesticides via inhalation, skin absorption or ingestion, occurring occupationally during mixing, spraying and harvesting, or through residues in food and water and environmental drift. Acute exposure causes poisoning — the WHO has estimated millions of cases annually, concentrated among agricultural workers in developing countries — while chronic low-level exposure is associated with cancers, neurological effects and endocrine disruption for certain compounds.
References
exposure routes and health effects
highly hazardous pesticides and risk reduction framework
Overview
What it means
Exposure risk depends on toxicity, dose, protective practice and regulation. Farmworkers and their families bear the heaviest burden, often applying highly hazardous pesticides banned elsewhere, without training or protective equipment. Highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs) are a specific policy target of FAO and WHO.
How it is used
The term anchors occupational health surveillance, pesticide regulation (maximum residue limits, re-entry intervals), the Rotterdam Convention's prior informed consent system, and integrated pest management programmes aimed at reducing reliance on chemical control.
Why it matters
Pesticide exposure is where agricultural intensification meets human health directly; reducing it protects workers and consumers while driving the transition to ecological pest management.