Dipping into the health of sheep farmers

Funded by the Health and Safety Executive, IOM published a major epidemiological study into the health and welfare of sheep farmers who use insecticides on farms while sheep dipping to control scab mites in 2001.

The results of the study showed a number of symptoms of ill-health were attributed to insecticide (organophosphate) exposure. The IOM study provided the UK government with the evidence to ban certain chemical products until manufacturers improved the product containers to minimise exposure to the harmful chemical concentrates.