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PubMed2004

Influence of pesticide regulation on acute poisoning deaths in Sri Lanka.

OBJECTIVES: To assess in a developing Asian country the impact of pesticide regulation on the number of deaths from poisoning. These regulations, which were implemented in Sri Lanka from the 1970s, aimed to reduce the number of deaths - the majority from self-poisoning - by limiting the availability and use of highly toxic pesticides. METHODS: Information on legislative changes was obtained from the Ministry of Agriculture, national and district hospital admission data were obtained from the Sri Lanka Health Statistics Unit, and individual details of deaths by pesticide poisoning were obtained from a manual review of patients' notes and intensive care unit records in Anuradhapura. FINDINGS: Between 1986 and 2000, the total national number of admissions due to poisoning doubled, and admissions due to pesticide poisoning increased by more than 50%. At the same time, the case fatality proportion (CFP) fell for total poisonings and for poisonings due to pesticides. In 1991_92, 72% of pesticide-induced deaths in Anuradhapura were caused by organophosphorus (OP) and carbamate pesticides - in particular, the WHO class I OPs monocrotophos and methamidophos. From 1991, the import of these pesticides was reduced gradually until they were banned for routine use in January 1995, with a corresponding fall in deaths. Unfortunately, their place in agricultural practice was taken by the WHO class II organochlorine endosulfan, which led to a rise in deaths from status epilepticus - from one in 1994 to 50 in 1998. Endosulfan was banned in 1998, and over the following three years the number of endosulfan deaths fell to three. However, at the end of the decade, the number of deaths from pesticides was at a similar level to that of 1991, with WHO class II OPs causing the most deaths. Although these drugs are less toxic than class I OPs, the management of class II OPs remains difficult because they are, nevertheless, still highly toxic, and their toxicity is exacerbated by the paucity of available facilities. CONCLUSION: The fall in CFP amidst a rising incidence of self-poisoning suggests that Sri Lanka's programmes of pesticide regulation were beneficial. However, a closer inspection of pesticide-induced deaths in one hospital revealed switching to other highly toxic pesticides, as one was banned and replaced in agricultural practice by another. Future regulation must predict this switching and bear in mind the ease of treatment of replacement pesticides. Furthermore, such regulations must be implemented alongside other strategies, such as integrated pest management, to reduce the overall pesticide availability for self-harm.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2026

Revisiting the Association of Pesticide Exposure and Parkinson's Disease: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The association between pesticide exposure and Parkinson's disease (PD) is substantial, but heterogeneity in methodology and lack of categorization according to the type of exposure and pesticide classes in previous meta-analyses impair the interpretation of data. This study aims to update evidence of the association between pesticide exposure and PD. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies investigating associations between pesticide exposure and PD according to the type of pesticide exposure and pesticide class. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science until July 2024. Reviewers screened titles and abstracts. Afterward, reviewers reanalyzed the selection criteria and extracted the data based on the full paper. Meta-analyses were conducted to assess the association between pesticide exposure and PD. A total of 124 studies were eligible. There is a lack of diversity in the populations represented and a high variability in methodology among the included studies. Considering only studies with any type of exposure, we found a positive association of PD with any pesticide class and herbicides. Occupational exposure was associated with PD for all pesticide classes except for fungicides. Exclusive household pesticide exposure was also associated with PD. Pesticide exposure remains a significant environmental risk factor for the development of PD, regardless of the type of exposure. Herbicides are the pesticide class with the most substantial evidence of association with the disease. Further studies with new methods of pesticide exposure measurement, innovative design studies, and the inclusion of underrepresented populations are still needed.

Pesticides↗
PubMed2006

Behavior of pesticides in water-sediment systems.

Many experimental reports on the fate of pesticides in either laboratory or outdoor water-sediment systems have been obtained from both research and regulatory aspects that show some trends in distribution and degradation for each chemical class of pesticides. Adsorption, diffusion, hydrolysis, and biodegradation processes are important in controlling the behavior of pesticides in these water-sediment systems. Through these investigations, the contribution of suspended particles and dissolved organic matter has become more accepted in relation to these processes. Not only the physicochemical properties and degradability of a pesticide but also the characteristics of the many phases composing a water-sediment system determine the actual pesticide behavior, and therefore we should appropriately design an experimental system by considering the real situation of the natural aqueous environment to be examined. Many factors controlling experimental results in a laboratory system such as water-sediment ratio, depth of water and sediment phases, and mixing of water column have been clarified; however, there are still many issues to be examined. For example, a pesticide is always used as a formulation, but its effects on pesticide behavior in a water-sediment system have not been extensively examined. When its behavior in a natural aquatic system is considered, the effect and importance of photolysis are necessary to examine as an individual degradation process, but photolysis has been only briefly discussed in outdoor microcosm and mesocosm studies. Many studies discuss the distribution and degradation pathways of a pesticide, but its transport between water and sediment phases has scarcely been investigated because of its complexity, especially for a pesticide that is moderately or easily degraded in a water-sediment system. This form of investigation would be very useful when metabolites or degradates having more toxicological impact on aquatic species and sediment dwellers are found. From this point of view, the behavior of a pesticide and its metabolite(s) in an interstitial sediment porewater should become another critical point to be examined in the future. Other issues to be investigated further are the relevant processes in the neighborhood of interfaces. In an air-water interface, the effect of a surface microlayer has been examined mainly through microcosm and mesocosm studies, but the contribution of interfaces to either volatilization or photodegradation should be examined in more detail to precisely estimate dissipation profiles of a pesticide in the real aquatic environment. Furthermore, the enrichment of a pesticide in this interface should be investigated in relation to an emergence of chironomids. Recently, many kinetic approaches have been attempted to more effectively use experimental data in prediction of the fate of a pesticide by the aid of a simulation model. Most existing rate data usually represent apparent dissipation rates but not degradation rates, and therefore separation of the degradation rate from dissipation by considering adsorption-desorption and transport processes would be of immense value.

Ecosystem↗
PubMed2004

Photodegradation of pesticides on plant and soil surfaces.

Photodegradation is an abiotic process in the dissipation of pesticides where molecular excitation by absorption of light energy results in various organic reactions, or reactive oxygen species such as OH*, O3, and 1O2 specifically or nonspecifically oxidize the functional groups in a pesticide molecule. In the case of soil photolysis, the heterogeneity of soil together with soil properties varying with meteorological conditions makes photolytic processes difficult to understand. In contrast to solution photolysis, where light is attenuated by solid particles, both absorption and emission profiles of a pesticide are modified through interaction with soil components such as adsorption to clay minerals or solubilization to humic substances. Diffusion of a pesticide molecule results in heterogeneous concentration in soil, and either steric constraint or photoinduced generation of reactive species under the limited mobility sometimes modifies degradation mechanisms. Extensive investigations of meteorological effects on soil moisture and temperature as well as development of an elaborate testing chamber controlling these factors seems to provide better conditions for researchers to examine the photodegradation of pesticides on soil under conditions similar to the real environment. However, the mechanistic analysis of photodegradation has just begun, and there still remain many issues to be clarified. For example, how photoprocesses affect the electronic states of pesticide molecules on soil or how the reactive oxygen species are generated on soil via interaction with clay minerals and humic substances should be investigated in greater detail. From this standpoint, the application of diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and usage or development of various probes to trap intermediate species is highly desired. Furthermore, only limited information is yet available on the reactions of pesticides on soil with atmospheric chemical species. For photodegradation on plants, the importance of an emission spectrum of the light source near its surface was clarified. Most photochemical information comes from photolysis in organic solvents or on glass surfaces and/or plant metabolism studies. Epicuticular waxes may be approximated by long-chain hydrocarbons as a very viscous liquid or solid, but the existing form of pesticide molecules in waxes is still obscure. Either coexistence of formulation agents or steric constraint in the rigid medium would cause a change of molecular excitation, deactivation, and photodegradation mechanisms, which should be further investigated to understand the dissipation profiles of a pesticide in or on crops in the field. A thin-layer system with a coat of epicuticular waxes extracted from leaves or isolated cuticles has been utilized as a model, but its application has been very limited. There appear to be gaps in our knowledge about the surface chemistry and photochemistry of pesticides in both rigid media and plant metabolism. Photodegradation studies, for example, by using these models to eliminate contribution from metabolic conversion as much as possible, should be extensively conducted in conjunction with wax chemistry, with the controlling factors being clarified. As with soil surfaces, the effects of atmospheric oxidants should also be investigated. Based on this knowledge, new methods of kinetic analysis or a device simulating the fate of pesticides on these surfaces could be more rationally developed. Concerning soil photolysis, detailed mechanistic analysis of the mobility and fate of pesticides together with volatilization from soil surfaces has been initiated and its spatial distribution with time has been simulated with reasonable precision on a laboratory scale. Although mechanistic analyses have been conducted on penetration of pesticides through cuticular waxes, its combination with photodegradation to simulate the real environment is awaiting further investigation.

Humans↗
PubMed1993

Measurements of year-long exposure to tree nursery workers using multiple pesticides.

A year-long nurseryworker pesticide exposure study was designed to measure and evaluate the exposure occurring to workers who had the potential for simultaneous exposure to multiple pesticides. This four-State study was conducted in five nurseries (four USDA Forest Service and one State) involved in conifer seedling production. Primary comparisons were made among nursery workers in the Pacific northwest and south central United States. Worker exposure was assessed by using patches attached to clothing, handrinse samples and urine excreted from potentially exposed workers. In addition, dislodgeable residue in rinsate from a water wash of pesticide-treated seedlings was also evaluated. Four different groups of field workers, designated as applicators, weeders, scouts and packers, were included. The pesticide absorbed dose, assessed by urine analysis of pesticide metabolites and the deposition of pesticide on patches attached to the clothing of field workers, was monitored as they performed their duties under normal conditions (e.g., typical clothing, pesticide application). Monitoring was performed for the 14 different pesticides which were used in these nurseries. Seven pesticides were studied in more detail using biological monitoring. For these compounds, metabolites known to be excreted in the urine of exposed humans or other mammals were used to estimate the dose of pesticide absorbed by the exposed workers. The highest percentage of positive samples came from dislodgeable residue samples (8.3%) followed by patch samples (3.2%), handrinse (2.9%), and urine samples (1.3%). To summarize the conclusions from the urinary excretion data, 12 of the 73 nursery workers in the study received a low absorbed dose of pesticide. Biological monitoring revealed that three pesticides (benomyl, bifenox and carbaryl) were found in the urine of some of the workers. Of the 3,134 urine samples analyzed there were 42 positive; 11 urine samples were positive for benomyl, while bifenox was responsible for 13 positives and carbaryl accounted for the remaining 18. The 12-week continuous monitoring of urine showed that metabolites of these materials were rapidly excreted; thus, no build-up in the body is anticipated. Margins of Safety (MOS) calculations were made to provide an assessment of the significance of the exposure. Based on the low frequency of positive urine samples in the study, the low levels of metabolites when they were found, their apparent rapid excretion rate and the No Observed Effect Level (NOEL) data, furnished from other sources, nursery worker exposure to pesticides in these conifer nurseries is below health threatening levels.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

The use and disposal of household pesticides.

Most pesticides are synthetic chemicals manufactured specifically for their toxic properties to the target species, and widely used globally. Several epidemiological studies in the United States have suggested health concerns arising from the chronic exposure of young children to pesticides in the domestic environment. In the UK very little is currently known about how nonoccupational pesticides are being used or disposed of. Any use of pesticides is a potential risk factor for children's exposure, and any potential exposure is likely to be reduced by the parents' adopting precautionary behaviour when using these pesticide products. This was investigated using a sample of 147 parents from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children cohort in and around Bristol, through an in-depth interview between August and November 2001. The results of this study add to the understanding of the underlying behaviour of parents applying pesticide products in the home environment in the UK. Pesticides are readily available, and are normally purchased in do-it-yourself shops and supermarkets and mostly disposed of in domestic waste. Safety was stated by 45% of parents to be the most important factor to consider when buying a pesticide. When buying pesticide products, labels were stated to be the most important source of information about pesticides. However, a third of parents stated they would not follow the product label exactly when using a product, just under half felt labels were both inadequate and hard to understand, and about 10% of parents would not take notice of warnings on the pesticide label. Less than half of parents would use gloves when applying a pesticide, although the use of protective equipment such as gloves during the application of pesticides could greatly reduce the exposure. It is a public health concern that the instructions on the labels of products may not always be understood or followed, and further understanding of user behaviour is needed.

Consumer Product Safety↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Validity study of self-reported pesticide exposure among orchardists.

Self-reported work histories are often the only means of estimating occupational exposures in epidemiologic research. The objective of this study was to examine the accuracy of recall of historical pesticide use among orchardists. All 185 orchardists in this study had participated previously in a cohort study of men occupationally exposed to pesticides. In that study (1972 to 1976), subjects were interviewed annually and asked to list pesticides used since the last interview. In 1997, 265 of the 440 presumed-living orchardists from the original cohort were successfully recontacted and asked to complete a detailed questionnaire concerning their lifetime use of pesticides; 185 (69.8% of farmers successfully contacted) agreed. Considering the 1972-1976 data as the standard, sensitivity and specificity of recall were calculated for certain pesticides and pesticide categories. Sensitivity of recall was good to excellent (0.6-0.9) for the broad categories of insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides, for heavily used chemical classes, such as organophosphates and organochlorines, and for commonly used pesticides; it was lower and more variable (0.1-0.6) for specific pesticides. Recall specificity was greatest (0.7-0.9) for the least used pesticides and chemical classes, such as dithiocarbamates and manganese-containing pesticides, and was generally modest for the rest (0.5-0.6). There was no evidence of selection bias between study participants and nonparticipants. In conclusion, recall accuracy was good for commonly used pesticides and pesticide categories. This level of recall accuracy is probably adequate for epidemiologic analyses of broad categories of pesticides, but is a limitation for detecting more specific associations.

Aged↗
PubMed2005

Urinary and hand wipe pesticide levels among farmers and nonfarmers in Iowa.

In the spring and summer of 2001, as part of a larger study investigating farm family pesticide exposure and home contamination in Iowa, urine and hand wipe samples were collected from 24 male farmers and 23 male nonfarmer controls. On two occasions approximately 1 month apart, one hand wipe sample and an evening and morning urine sample were collected from each participant. The samples were analyzed for the parent compound or metabolites of six commonly used agricultural pesticides: alachlor, atrazine, acetochlor, metolachlor, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and chlorpyrifos. For atrazine, acetochlor, metolachlor and 2,4-D, farmers who reported applying the pesticide had significantly higher urinary metabolite levels than nonfarmers, farmers who did not apply the pesticide, and farmers who had the pesticide commercially applied (P-value <0.05). Generally, there were no differences in urinary pesticide metabolite levels between nonfarmers, farmers who did not apply the pesticide, and farmers who had the pesticide commercially applied. Among farmers who reported applying 2,4-D themselves, time since application, amount of pesticide applied, and the number of acres to which the pesticide was applied were marginally associated with 2,4-D urine levels. Among farmers who reported applying atrazine themselves, time since application and farm size were marginally associated with atrazine mercapturate urine levels. Farmers who reported using a closed cab to apply these pesticides had higher urinary pesticide metabolite levels, although the difference was not statistically significant. Farmers who reported using closed cabs tended to use more pesticides. The majority of the hand wipe samples were nondetectable. However, detection of atrazine in the hand wipes was significantly associated with urinary levels of atrazine above the median (P-value <0.01).

Agriculture↗
PubMed2005

Pesticide contamination inside farm and nonfarm homes.

Twenty-five farm (F) households and 25 nonfarm (NF) households in Iowa were enrolled in a study investigating agricultural pesticide contamination inside homes. Air, surface wipe, and dust samples were collected. Samples from 39 homes (20 F and 19 NF) were analyzed for atrazine, metolachlor, acetochlor, alachlor, and chlorpyrifos. Samples from 11 homes (5 F and 6 NF) were analyzed for glyphosate and 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyac etic acid (2,4-D). Greater than 88% of the air and greater than 74% of the wipe samples were below the limit of detection (LOD). Among the air and wipe samples, chlorpyrifos was detected most frequently in homes. In the dust samples, all the pesticides were detected in greater than 50% of the samples except acetochlor and alachlor, which were detected in less than 30% of the samples. Pesticides in dust samples were detected more often in farm homes except 2,4-D, which was detected in 100% of the farm and nonfarm home samples. The average concentration in dust was higher in farm homes versus nonfarm homes for each pesticide. Further analysis of the data was limited to those pesticides with at least 50% of the dust samples above the LOD. All farms that sprayed a pesticide had higher levels of that pesticide in dust than both farms that did not spray that pesticide and nonfarms; however, only atrazine and metolachlor were significantly higher. The adjusted geometric mean pesticide concentration in dust for farms that sprayed a particular pesticide ranged from 94 to 1300 ng/g compared with 12 to 1000 ng/g for farms that did not spray a particular pesticide, and 2.4 to 320 ng/g for nonfarms. The distributions of the pesticides throughout the various rooms sampled suggest that the strictly agricultural herbicides atrazine and metolachlor are potentially being brought into the home on the farmer's shoes and clothing. These herbicides are not applied in or around the home but they appear to be getting into the home para-occupationally. For agricultural pesticides, take-home exposure may be an important source of home contamination.

Agriculture↗
PubMed2006

Neural tube defects and maternal residential proximity to agricultural pesticide applications.

Residential proximity to applications of agricultural pesticides may be an important source of exposure to agents that have been classified as developmental toxins. Data on two case-control study populations of infants with neural tube defects (NTDs) and nonmalformed controls delivered in California between 1987 and 1991 were pooled to investigate whether maternal residential proximity to applications of specific pesticides or physicochemical groups of pesticides during early gestation increases the risk of these malformations. Maternal residential proximity within 1,000 m of pesticide applications was ascertained by linking mothers' addresses with agricultural pesticide use reports and crop maps. Odds ratios were computed by using conventional single- and multiple-pesticide and hierarchical multiple-pesticide logistic regression. In single-pesticide models, several pesticides were associated with NTDs after adjustment for study population, maternal ethnicity, educational level, cigarette smoking, and vitamin use. In a hierarchical multiple-pesticide model, effect estimates for only benomyl and methomyl suggested a possible association. Elevated risks of NTDs and anencephaly or spina bifida subtypes were also associated with exposures to chemicals classified as amide, benzimidazole, methyl carbamate, or organophosphorus pesticides and with increasing numbers of pesticides. These results suggest that ambient exposure to certain categories of agricultural pesticides may increase the risk of NTDs.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Parkinson's disease mortality and pesticide exposure in California 1984-1994.

BACKGROUND: In the last two decades reports from different countries emerged associating pesticide and herbicide use with Parkinson's disease (PD). California growers use approximately 250 million pounds of pesticides annually, about a quarter of all pesticides used in the US. METHODS: We employed a proportional odds mortality design to compare all cases of PD recorded as underlying (1984-1994) or associated causes (1984-1993) of death occurring in California with all deaths from ischaemic heart disease (ICD-9 410-414) during the same period. Based on pesticide use report data we classified California counties into several pesticide use categories. Agricultural census data allowed us to create measures of percentage of land per county treated with pesticides. Employing logistic regression models we estimated the effect of pesticide use controlling for age, gender, race, birthplace, year of deaths, and education. RESULTS: Mortality from PD as the underlying cause of death was higher in agricultural pesticide-use counties than in non-use counties. A dose response was observed for insecticide use per county land treated when using 1982 agricultural census data, but not for amounts of restricted pesticides used or length of residency in a country prior to death. CONCLUSIONS: Our data show an increased PD mortality in California counties using agricultural pesticides. Unless all of our measures of county pesticide use are surrogates for other risk factors more prevalent in pesticide use counties, it seems important to target this prevalent exposure in rural California in future studies that use improved case finding mechanisms and collect pesticide exposure data for individuals.

Aged↗
PubMed2003

Exposure to indoor pesticides during pregnancy in a multiethnic, urban cohort.

Evidence is growing that indoor pesticide exposure is of considerable magnitude in the United States and that pesticide concentrations may be especially high in urban areas. Of particular concern is exposure of pregnant women because animal data suggest that exposure to pesticides during pregnancy and early life may impair neurodevelopment in the offspring. To investigate the relationship between prenatal exposure to indoor pesticides and infant growth and development, we are conducting a prospective, multiethnic cohort study of mothers and infants delivered at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. This article provides data on pesticide exposure based on questionnaire items and analysis of maternal urinary metabolite levels among 386 women. Both the questionnaire and laboratory data revealed that exposure to indoor pesticides was considerable. The proportion of women estimated from questionnaire data as having been exposed during pregnancy to indoor pesticides (approximately 70%) was somewhat lower than the 80-90% of American households who reportedly used pesticides in previous surveys, but some of the latter surveys included both indoor and outdoor pesticide use. Urinary metabolite levels of 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCPy; median = 11.3 micro g/g creatinine), phenoxybenzoic acid (PBA; median =19.3 micro g/g creatinine), and pentachlorophenol (PCP; median =7.3 micro g/g creatinine) were higher than those reported in other studies of adults in the United States. Furthermore, no associations were evident between the pesticide questionnaire data and the urinary metabolites. Assessments of sociodemographic and building characteristics with questionnaire data and the metabolite levels revealed no consistent trends. Significant temporal variations were observed for urinary PBA but not TCPy or PCP. The temporal variations for PBA were consistent with seasonal spraying of pyrethroid pesticides. These data underscore the need to assess the potentially adverse effects of pesticide exposure on fetuses and infants and the importance of finding alternative methods for pest management to reduce pesticide exposures.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Pesticides and inner-city children: exposures, risks, and prevention.

Six million children live in poverty in America's inner cities. These children are at high risk of exposure to pesticides that are used extensively in urban schools, homes, and day-care centers for control of roaches, rats, and other vermin. The organophosphate insecticide chlorpyrifos and certain pyrethroids are the registered pesticides most heavily applied in cities. Illegal street pesticides are also in use, including tres pasitos (a carbamate), tiza china, and methyl parathion. In New York State in 1997, the heaviest use of pesticides in all counties statewide was in the urban boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Children are highly vulnerable to pesticides. Because of their play close to the ground, their hand-to-mouth behavior, and their unique dietary patterns, children absorb more pesticides from their environment than adults. The long persistence of semivolatile pesticides such as chlorpyrifos on rugs, furniture, stuffed toys, and other absorbent surfaces within closed apartments further enhances urban children's exposures. Compounding these risks of heavy exposures are children's decreased ability to detoxify and excrete pesticides and the rapid growth, development, and differentiation of their vital organ systems. These developmental immaturities create early windows of great vulnerability. Recent experimental data suggest, for example, that chlorpyrifos may be a developmental neurotoxicant and that exposure in utero may cause biochemical and functional aberrations in fetal neurons as well as deficits in the number of neurons. Certain pyrethroids exert hormonal activity that may alter early neurologic and reproductive development. Assays currently used for assessment of the toxicity of pesticides are insensitive and cannot accurately predict effects to children exposed in utero or in early postnatal life. Protection of American children, and particularly of inner-city children, against the developmental hazards of pesticides requires a comprehensive strategy that monitors patterns of pesticide use on a continuing basis, assesses children's actual exposures to pesticides, uses state-of-the-art developmental toxicity testing, and establishes societal targets for reduction of pesticide use.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Pesticide patch test series for the assessment of allergic contact dermatitis among banana plantation workers in panama.

BACKGROUND: Irritant contact dermatitis and allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) are frequent among agricultural workers and require targeted interventions. Patch testing is necessary for differential diagnosis, but patch testing with pesticides is uncommon. OBJECTIVE: This study explores the frequency of ACD and sensitization to pesticides among highly exposed banana plantation workers. METHODS: Frequently and recently used pesticides on banana plantations in Divala, Panama, were documented. A pesticide patch test tray specific for this population was prepared. A structured interview was administered to 366 participants, followed by a complete skin examination. The pesticide patch test series, as well as a standard patch test series, was applied to 37 workers with dermatoses likely to be pesticide related and to 23 control workers without dermatoses. RESULTS: The pesticide patch tests identified 15 cases (41%) of ACD (20 positive reactions) among the 37 workers diagnosed with pesticide dermatosis. Three controls had allergic reactions to pesticides (4 positive reactions). The pesticides were carbaryl (5 cases), benomyl (4 cases), ethoprophos (3), chlorothalonil (2), imazalil (2), glyphosate (2), thiabendazole (2), chlorpyrifos (1), oxyfluorfen (1), propiconazole (1), and tridemorph (1). Ethoprophos and tridemorph had not been previously identified as sensitizers. Thus, the prevalence of ACD was 0.03 (15 of 366). On the basis of observed prevalences of positive patch-test reactions among the subgroups with and without dermatoses, we estimated that > or = 16% of the entire population may be sensitized to pesticides. CONCLUSION: Sensitization to pesticides among banana plantation workers is a frequent occupational health problem. Pesticide patch test trays should be used in assessing skin diseases in highly exposed workers.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

A preliminary study of immunologic and hematologic profiles of peripheral blood from Nebraska farmers who apply pesticides to their fields.

OBJECTIVE: Laboratory studies have documented a wide range of pesticide-induced changes in the hematopoietic and lymphoreticular systems. Some of these are expressed as altered serum values, blood cell counts, and leucocyte functions. The goal of the present study was to determine whether these alterations were evident in peripheral blood of Nebraska farmers who applied pesticides to their fields. METHODS: An invitation to participate was mailed to 100 residents (70 farmers; 30 controls) of Butler County, Nebraska. All respondents (51 farmers and 21 controls) were enrolled and surveyed by written questionnaire for health status and pesticide use. Our analysis included 45 farmers and 18 controls. The farmers were divided into a high (n = 23) and a low (n = 22) pesticide use group. Statistical correlations of ten blood values with both pesticide use and age were evaluated, since pesticide use correlated with age. RESULTS: Four of the ten blood values correlated with pesticide use and age (Spearman Rho). In a multiple regression model, pesticide use (not age) proved to be a predictor of red blood cell count and hematocrit. In the same model, pesticide use was not a predictor of mean red cell volume or candida antigen-induced T-lymphocyte proliferation. Serum complement activity did not correlate with pesticide use among the farmers (n = 45) but was significantly reduced (ANOVA) in the high pesticide use group, compared to controls. CONCLUSIONS: A preliminary study of blood values in a small cohort of Nebraska farmers found no pesticide-associated effects on 1) leucocyte count, 2) antigen- and mitogen-stimulated T-cell proliferation, 3) mitogen-stimulated B-cell proliferation, and 4) concentrations of serum IgG and IgM. The study found small but statistically significant pesticide-associated effects on red blood cells and serum complement.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Comparison of solvents for removing pesticides from skin using an in vitro porcine model.

This study compared four solvents (1-propanol, polyethylene glycol [avg. MW 400], 10% Ivory Liquid and water, and D-TAM) for their ability to remove selected pesticides from an in vitro porcine skin model using a solvent-moistened wipe. Wipes were performed 90 min after pesticide was applied to the skin. The four pesticides selected (glyphosate, alachlor, methyl parathion, and trifluralin) were chosen because of their differences in water solubility. This study also determined whether pretreatment of skin with a solvent prior to pesticide application would either increase or decrease recovery of the pesticide. Recovery efficiencies for all solvents and pesticides were affected by the amount of contaminant on the skin. Although pesticide recoveries from all four solvents were similar (range: 45-57%), on average 1-propanol had significantly higher recoveries, followed by soap and water. There was no significant difference between polyethylene glycol, and D-TAM. When skin was pretreated with any of the four solvents before pesticide application, the recoveries of the more water soluble compounds, glyphosate and alachlor, decreased. When pretreatment with solvent preceded application of trifluralin, the pesticide with the lowest water solubility, recoveries increased. 1-Propanol or soap and water were more effective in removing pesticides from skin than polyethylene glycol or D-TAM, but the amount of pesticide recovered from skin was affected by the chemical characteristics of the pesticide (such as water solubility) and the amount of pesticide originally on the skin. This study provides information useful to the interpretation of skin wipe sample results collected in field studies.

1-Propanol↗
PubMed2000

Nongenotoxic (epigenetic) carcinogens: pesticides as an example. A critical review.

The following groups of pesticides are considered in this review by supposed mechanisms of their carcinogenicity: hepatocarcinogenic pesticides, pesticides - peroxisome proliferators, pesticides as endocrine disruptors, goitrogenic pesticides, pesticides producing sustained cell proliferation and some others. With very rare exceptions, pesticides do not react with DNA directly and the mechanisms of their carcinogenicity are, in general, similar to those of other nongenotoxic (epigenetic) carcinogens, namely: promotion of spontaneous initiation, cytotoxicity with sustained cell proliferation, oxidative stress, formation of activated receptors and some others. Genotoxicity of pesticides varies from its complete absence (propiconazol as an example) to a very pronounced one (captafol) with remaining compounds in between. These two compounds demonstrate full correlation between genotoxicity and carcinogenicity (or their absence). Many pesticides give positive results in some tests for genotoxicity but these results are frequently controversial, not readily reproducible, or obtained only at toxic dose levels. The weak genotoxicity of the majority of pesticides is easily explainable by their rather severe testing before their introduction into practical use. The above mechanisms are threshold-based and therefore pesticides are regulated through NOEL/safety factor. There exist examples of lack of correlation between genotoxicity and carcinogenicity: some pesticides are genotoxic (although not strongly) but noncarcinogenic, others are considered as nongenotoxic but are strongly carcinogenic (chlorothalonil, acetochlor). The general scheme of the promoters' effect is presented in which an important role is attributed to the cytochrome P-450 induction (some pesticides are the cytochrome P-450 inducers), formation of reactive oxygen species and peroxitome proliferation. Teratogenesis Carcinog. Mutagen. 20:229-240, 2000.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

[Studies on use and residue levels of pesticides in fruit and vegetable in Tianjin Area and its control measures].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate pesticide abuse on fruits and vegetables in Tianjin Area, to detect pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables, to study the methods for reducing pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables. METHODS: (1) A questionnaire on the pesticide application during growing fruit and vegetable was administered to 185 farmers in Tianjin Area. (2) According to the information from the questionnaire survey, fruit and vegetable samples were collected in four seasons around the year and measured for organophosphorus pesticide residues by gas chromatography. (3) Fruit and vegetable samples contained pesticide residue were treated by scald, immersion in 0.15% and 0.30% detergent solution, immersion in pure water, peeling and cutting root and pesticide residues were measured before and after the treatment. RESULTS: The percentage of pesticide abuse in growing fruit and vegetable was 65.00% in Tianjin area, and 31.60% of the fruits and vegetable samples collected in summer were positive for high toxic organophosphorus pesticides. Significant decrease of pesticide residue in fruit and vegetable was found by scald, immersion in 0.15% and 0.30% detergent solution, as well as peeling and cutting root, and over 80.00% pesticide residue in the samples could be reduced by scald. CONCLUSIONS: It is necessary to strengthen pesticide abuse control and market surveillance and inspection, in order to reduce the harmful effects of pesticide residue in fruit and vegetables to human health.

Chromatography, Gas↗