Accurate data on fatalities or poisonings are difficult to obtain. This is a conservative underestimate as there is serious under-reporting of poisonings, especially in rural areas in developing countries. Agricultural workers' exposure to pesticides is often further increased as they usually live where they work. They and their families, communities, and environment are contaminated by pesticides in spray drift, polluted water and soil, as well as through consuming local crops, meat and fish containing pesticide residues. This additional exposure greatly increases the risks of ill-health especially when this is linked to poor diet and malnutrition.
Agricultural workers are often the poorest of the poor.