| dc.description.abstract |
The great challenge for the sustainable use of excreta (urine, faeces) in agriculture is to increase
the benefits of these products as resources and decrease the negative effects on human health. The
risk of gastrointestinal diseases associated with the use of human excreta as natural fertilisers is
well established, while information on skin problems remains largely anecdotal. The objective of
this study was to evaluate the prevalence of skin problems among people involved in the handling
of the urine used as fertiliser along a productive sanitation system in Ouagadougou periurban
areas. A questionnaire was used for each targeted worker to collect data on sociodemographic
characteristics, conditions of work and reported health symptoms such as skin burning, itching,
eye irritation and paronychia. The exposure measurements were essentially based on field observations.
A total of 435 people were interviewed, including 45 workers in urine storage sites,
209 farmers using urine-based fertiliser and 181 control farmers. More than 35% of site workers
reported skin symptoms. For farmers using urine-based fertiliser and their controls, 17.2% and
26.0% reported skin symptoms, respectively. Overall, the associations between skin symptoms
and the handling of urine used as fertiliser were almost significant (P ˂ 0.06). Also, the study
showed that these skin symptoms reported by the urine handlers are associated with conditions of work. Effective preventive measures such as wearing suitable protective equipment and practicing
good personal hygiene should be emphasized. This topic needs to be further examined using
longitudinal studies. |
en_US |
