Abstract: Objective To understand the current situation and protection of pesticide use in rural areas of Shaanxi Province,analyze its impact on human health and the environment,and put forward improvement measures. Methods From 2019 to 2021,a unified survey questionnaire was used to conduct a survey on 3 000 rural households in the province each year,totaling 9 000 households. The investigation included the source,storage,disposal of discarded packaging of pesticides and protection measures during pesticide application,acute poisoning symptoms,and the data were analyzed. Results The proportion of pesticide users in Shaanxi province was 50.00%（4 500/9 000）,which had been decreasing year by year（ χ²=8.471,P<0.01）. Among households using pesticides,the main channel for purchasing pesticide was individual businesses,accounting for 54.87%（2 469/4 500）. 20.47%（921/4 500） of households pesticide storage methods had safety hazards. The proportion of environmental pollution caused by the disposal of discarded packaging was 90.91%（4 091/4 500）,which was lower in 2020 than in 2019（ χ²=9.055,P<0.01） and 2021（ χ²=4.599,P<0.05）. The proportion of pesticides with protective measures during application was 85.63%（3 854/4 500）,showing an increasing trend year by year（ χ²=64.832,P<0.01）. The proportion of poisoning symptoms after dispensing or application was 3.11%（140/4 500）,showing a decreasing trend year by year（ χ²=34.905,P<0.01）,with the majority showing one symptom,accounting for（108/140）. The main symptoms were dry mouth（39.29%,55/140） and fatigue（33.57%,47/140）. Conclusion The number of rural pesticide users in Shaanxi Province is gradually decreasing,and some households have safety hazards in pesticide storage. Most households have improper disposal of discarded packaging of pesticides,and personal protective awareness is gradually increasing during pesticide application,thus the occurrence of poisoning symptoms gradually decreasing. It is suggested that relevant departments should continue to carry out pesticide reduction and harm control actions,increase publicity efforts,guide farmers to use pesticides scientifically,reasonably,and safely,in order to further improve their health risk awareness and environmental awareness.

Key words: Rural areas, Pesticide, Storage, Abandoned packaging, Protection