During spraying, the majority of farmers reported not wearing any protective clothing. Although a study among eggplant growers in West Bengal (Baral et al., 2006) indicated most farmers covered their faces with a piece of cloth (59%) or covered their body with clothing (52%) as a protective measure while applying pesticide, the results from our survey indicate otherwise. In West Bengal, there was a significant association between the level of farmers' education and
how they protect themselves (χ2(7)=15.5162, p=0.030). More farmers who had secondary (or higher) education protected themselves more by wearing aprons, masks, etc.
In Gujarat, one third of the farmers reported that they mixed pesticides with their bare hands. Also, the majority of farmers
reported eating, drinking, or smoking during pesticide application.