This report exposes alarming levels of pesticide exposure faced daily by farming communities in Bangladesh, India, Laos and Vietnam. The report underscores that the right to health, safe food, and a safe environment is being systematically undermined in rural Asia. A total of 4,392 farmers were surveyed across the four countries covered in this report.

The report reveals that many farming families have lived with pesticide use for decades, may potentially resulting in chronic and cumulative exposure. Most communities are located within one kilometre of sprayed fields, meaning that women, children, the elderly, and non-farming residents are routinely exposed to drifting pesticide sprays and residue in soil, air, and water. What is commonly described as “occupational exposure” is, in reality, widespread community exposure.