ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses literature on the adverse health effects of pesticides to agrarian population of developing countries and health surveys conducted by the Indian Institute of Toxicology Research during 1990-2007. Pesticides used in agricultural tracts are released into the atmosphere and they come into human contact either directly or indirectly. Pesticides present in environmental media come into contact with human populations by different routes of exposure such as inhalation, ingestion, and dermal contact. In developing nations, extensive use of agricultural pesticides without taking enough precaution is causing a lot of health concerns. Acute pesticide poisoning is not as pronounced in Africa as that in Asia. The level of safety awareness regarding pesticide use is low among farmers and this was cited as one of the major causes of pesticide toxicity in agrarian population in Ethiopia. The brain and peripheral nervous system are directly affected by pesticides because they are the sites of action and deposition.
