Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “PESTICIDES”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 631 records · Page 35Linked to original sources
PubMed2005

Farm Family Exposure Study: methods and recruitment practices for a biomonitoring study of pesticide exposure.

PURPOSE: The Farm Family Exposure Study was initiated to characterize pesticide exposure to farm family members around the time of one pesticide application in a manner that will facilitate exposure assessment in epidemiologic studies of pesticides. METHODS: A sample of farm families with children was recruited by randomly selecting farmers from lists of licensed pesticide applicators in Minnesota and South Carolina. Eligible families were selected from among those who planned to apply one of three chemicals, glyphosate, 2,4-D, or chlorpyrifos, as part of their normal operations. The applicator, spouse, and all children in the family ages 4-17 years were included in the study. The applicator and spouse completed self-administered questionnaires addressing demographics, farming practices and potential exposures to them and their children. Field observers documented the application, recorded application practices, equipment, potential exposures, and the presence of children or spouses in the immediate vicinity of pesticide activities. All study participants were asked to collect each urine void for 5 days, 1 day before through 3 days after the application. Pesticides were measured in 24-h composite urine samples with a one part per billion limit of detection. RESULTS: Of 11,164 applicators screened, 994 families met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 95 families were enrolled. Enrollees were similar in most characteristics to their peers who were not participants in the study. In total, there were 106 applications, 10 of which involved more than one chemical. This resulted in urinary data for 48 farmers and spouses and their 79 children for glyphosate, 34 farmers and spouses and their 50 children for chlorpyrifos, and 34 farmers and spouses and their 53 children for 2,4-D. Compliance with the 24-h urine collection was particularly good for the adult participants. There were more missing samples for children than for adults, but overall compliance was high. CONCLUSION: The Farm Family Exposure Study should provide insights about pesticide exposure under real world conditions and thereby facilitate improved exposure assessment in epidemiologic studies of agricultural populations.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Socio-demographic characteristics of UK families using pesticides and weed-killers.

Pesticides are widely used in the home and garden to kill insects, weeds and other unwanted pests. There is mounting evidence that this usage may also have health consequences particularly on children. Using the ALSPAC cohort of 13,391 families with self-reported usage data up to age 4 years of the study child, the main users of pesticides appeared to be older, Caucasian, better educated, have higher incomes and more likely to own their home or to belong to non-manual social classes compared to less frequent users. There was some suggestion that different factors may affect weed-killer compared to other pesticide use. In particular, income appeared unrelated to other pesticide use. This may reflect different attitudes to indoor compared to garden applications. Alternatively, it may reflect whether the main user was the mother or the partner. Some authorities are currently encouraging domestic users to consider other non-chemical means of pest control before using pesticides. These results may help in targeting particular groups if further reductions in pesticide usage are desired. They have also helped in identifying the important confounders for adjusting future analyses on the potential health consequences of pesticides and weed-killers.

Demography↗
PubMed1997

Evaluation of hydromatrix and magnesium sulfate drying agents for supercritical fluid extraction of multiple pesticides in produce.

The simultaneous extraction of relatively polar and nonpolar pesticides has been problematic in multiresidue analysis using supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) with carbon dioxide. In fruit and vegetable samples, which typically contain 80-95% water, moisture acts to increase SFE recoveries of many polar pesticides, but a drying agent should be used to control water in SFE. Hydromatrix, a prevalent drying agent, has many desirable characteristics, but it reduces recovery of certain important pesticides, such as methamidophos, acephate, and omethoate. MgSO4 has been shown previously to be applicable for the extraction of methamidophos and six other pesticides, but MgSO4 has practical disadvantages in its use. In this study, properties and SFE results with the individual drying agents and their combination were evaluated. Simultaneous recoveries for polar and nonpolar pesticides were achieved for 71 pesticides fortified in apple using a mixture of 2 + 1 + 2 MgSO4-H2O-Hydromatrix-sample for extraction. The advantages of each drying agent were maintained by their combination. The analysis of real samples, however, showed that more study was needed to improve recoveries of nonpolar pesticides.

Chemistry, Agricultural↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Survey of health and use characterization of pesticide appliers in Minnesota.

We surveyed 1,000 randomly selected state-licensed pesticide appliers to improve our understanding of pesticide use and its potential health effects. Participants were stratified by pesticide class (herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, fumigants) to determine potential differences in health characteristics among different pesticide groups. A subset of 60 applicators, divided by pesticide class used, were studied for exposure-related cholinesterase (ChE) depression. ChE depression in excess of 20% was most frequent in fumigant applicators who did enclosed-space application, in addition to other pesticide application procedures (p < .05). Survey data demonstrated that the prevalence of all common chronic diseases considered together was significantly increased (p = .015) in fumigant appliers, compared with all other pesticide use groups. The frequency of chronic lung disease was also significantly increased in the fumigant applier group (p = .027). Curiously, two cases of a rare hematopoietic neoplasm--hairy cell leukemia--were identified in our study group (annual incidence 0.67/100,000 in Minnesota). Whether there is an association between this unique tumor and agricultural work is uncertain, and further study is needed in this regard.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Clinical immunotoxicity of pesticides.

Because of the wide use of pesticides for domestic and industrial purposes, the evaluation of their immunotoxic effects is of major concern for public health. Despite the large amount of experimental data describing pesticide-induced immunosuppression, evidence that pesticides may severely impair immune functions in humans is lacking or scarce. Contact hypersensitivity is a well-identified immunotoxic effect of pesticides but remains a rare complaint in pesticide-exposed workers. By contrast, immunologically mediated systemic reactions have been described only as debatable case reports. The association between autoimmune diseases and pesticide exposure has more recently been suggested. Despite the lack of convincing human data, a potential risk for the immune system should not be excluded, especially during chronic exposure to pesticides or in otherwise (immuno) compromised patients (malnutrition, children, old patients). Epidemiological studies including markers of exposure and the assessment of immune competence in exposed individuals, or registries of sentinel diseases related to immunosuppression (e.g., non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, opportunistic infections) or autoimmunity (e.g. lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis), are warranted.

Autoimmune Diseases↗
PubMed2000

Variability in pesticides residues--the US experience.

The evolution of US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) process for estimating potential health risks from pesticide residues in or on food is examined in light of changes in US Legislation and the variability of residue data and assumptions used to estimate dietary exposure. In the 86 years since enactment of the Insecticide Act, pesticide laws have become progressively more health-based. Passage of the 1996 Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) requires EPA to place particular emphasis on assessing potential risk from pesticides to infants and children. Primary factors affecting the actual pesticide residues in food include frequency of application, percentage of crop treated, and the interval from treatment to harvest. Primary factors affecting the estimated pesticide residues in food include the source of the residue data, calculation techniques for non-detected residues, and the availability of data reflecting post-harvest treatments. Risk assessors must thoroughly consider these factors when assessing dietary risk to pesticides. Risk managers will need to consider these factors as a means of mitigating dietary risk from pesticides.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Pesticide residues variability and acute dietary risk assessment: a consumer perspective.

In relation to residue variability and acute dietary intake, this paper considers whether or not consumers are adequately protected, and makes recommendations for governments and international bodies. Existing risk assessment science is inadequate to lay to rest some concerns raised by the scientific community, and it is plausible that acute exposures to pesticides from the most contaminated food may be causing adverse effects in some consumers. Consumers International recommends that: (1) analysis and regulation of pesticides with a common mechanism of action (e.g. organophosphate insecticides) be conducted in an integrated, aggregated manner, not on a single pesticide basis; (2) exposure to pesticides in foods consumed in large amounts by children be reduced by revising good agricultural practices; (3) clear risk assessment policies for acute risk assessments be established at the national and international level; and (4) an additional safety factor be applied in order to protect children when establishing maximum residue limits (MRLs) for pesticides in the absence of reliable data on the effects of pesticides on children (e.g. no pesticide-specific tests on immature animals for effects on the developing brain, endocrine, or immune systems).

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Pesticide content of infant formulae and weaning foods available in New Zealand.

A survey of the pesticide content of 25 commercially available infant formulae and 30 weaning foods available in New Zealand was undertaken in 1996. It included a representative mixture of imported and New Zealand manufactured infant foods. Three different pesticide screening techniques were used: a high-sensitivity organochlorine screen was carried out on all infant formulae, while a multiresidue screen (organochlorine and organophosphorus pesticides, synthetic pyrethroids, carbamate pesticides, fungicides and herbicides), and a specific screen for dithiocarbamate fungicides were both carried out on all weaning foods and on soy-based infant formulae. All results are expressed on a ready-to-feed basis. Extremely low levels of residues of three organochlorine compounds (p,p'-DDE, p,p'-DDT and dieldrin) were detected in infant formulae samples. Residues of p,p'-DDE were found in seven of 20 milk-based infant formulae at concentrations ranging from 0.03 to 0.5 microgram kg(-1). Residues of p,p'-DDT were found in one imported milk-based infant formula at 0.7 microgram kg(-1), and dieldrin residues were detected in four of five soy-based infant formulae at concentrations ranging from 0.05 to 0.08 microgram kg(-1). The multiresidue pesticide screen detected low levels of residues of two organophosphorus pesticides; azinphos-methyl in one soy-based infant formula at a level of 22 microgram kg(-1) and pirimiphos-methyl in two cereal-based weaning foods at concentrations of 5 and 14 microgram kg(-1). None of the other approximately 140 pesticides (including fungicides and herbicides) included in the multiresidue screen were detected in any weaning foods or soy-based infant formulae, at a detection limit of 10 microgram kg(-1). No residues of dithiocarbamate fungicides were detected in any product analysed, at a detection limit of 100 microgram kg(-1).

Azinphosmethyl↗
PubMed2003

Distribution of multiple pesticide residues in apple segments after home processing.

The effects of washing, storing, boiling, peeling, coring and juicing on pesticide residue were investigated for field-sprayed Discovery and Jonagold apples. Residues of chlorpyrifos, cypermethrin, deltamethrin, diazinon, endosulfan, endosulfan sulfate, fenitrothion, fenpropathrin, iprodione, kresoxim-methyl, lambda-cyhalothrin, quinalphos, tolylfluanid and vinclozolin in the processed apples were analysed by gas chromatography. Statistical analysis showed that reductions of 18-38% were required to obtain significant effects of processing practices, depending on pesticide and apple variety. Juicing and peeling the apples significantly reduced all pesticide residues. In the case of detectable pesticide residues, 1-24% were distributed in the juice and in the peeled apple. None of the pesticide residues was significantly reduced when the apples were subject to simple washing or coring. Storing significantly reduced five of the pesticide residues: diazinon, chlorpyrifos, fenitrothion, kresoxim-methyl and tolylfluanid, by 25-69%. Residues of the metabolite endosulfan sulfate were increased by 34% during storage. Boiling significantly reduced residues of fenitrothion and tolylfluanid by 32 and 81%, respectively. Only a few of the observed effects of processing could be explained by the physical or chemical characteristics of the pesticides. No differences in effect of processing due to apple variety were identified.

Chromatography, Gas↗
PubMed1989

Evaluation and regulation of pesticides in drinking water: A Canadian approach.

Pesticides are registered in Canada under the authority of the Pest Control Products Act, administered by the Department of Agriculture. Pre-market registration requirements include submission of extensive toxicology data in order to allow evaluation of potential human hazards which may be associated with exposure to pesticides. Drinking water guidelines in Canada, although under provincial jurisdiction, are generally recommended by the federal government with collaboration of provincial authorities. In 1987, 42 pesticides were selected for development of guidelines for drinking water. When complete, the 42 pesticides will represent approximately 80% of all agricultural pesticides utilized in Canada, based on active ingredient weight sold. As do many other regulatory agencies, the Department of National Health and Welfare uses two different approaches to derive health-based guidelines or maximum acceptable concentrations of pesticides in drinking water. The threshold approach assumes that there is a dose below which no adverse effect will occur. This threshold level is closely related to the experimentally determined no observed adverse effect level and, when divided by an appropriate uncertainty or safety factor, forms the basis for the establishment of the maximum acceptable concentration. The second approach is the non-threshold or risk assessment approach and this assumes that these is some probability of harm at any level of exposure. This latter approach is generally utilized for chemicals believed to be capable of causing cancer and has not been used for any of the existing 29 pesticide drinking water guidelines developed in Canada.

Canada↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Analysis of pesticide residues in hops and their extraction by liquid CO2 during the production of hop extracts.

A method has been developed for analysing pesticide residues in whole hops, hop pellets and hop extracts by GC-MS. Five batches of hop pellets containing nine different pesticides (triadimefon, dicofol, mephosfolan, bupirimate, cyhalothrin, tetradifon, endosulfan, pyrazophos and total bisdithiocarbamates) were extracted with liquid CO2. Pesticide concentrations in the original hop pellets and the extracts were determined. The pesticides were concentrated by the extraction process (concentration factor 1.3-8.3), except for the bisdithiocarbamates, which were not extracted. When the same amount of bitterness was added into the brewing process using liquid CO2 extract as opposed to hop pellets, for most of the pesticides proportionately less pesticide was added. However, for two pesticides (dicofol and triadimefon) corrected residue levels were similar to, or in some cases slightly higher than, those in hop pellets.

Beer↗
PubMed1998

The distribution of nine pesticides between the juice and pulp of carrots and tomatoes after home processing.

The distribution of nine pesticides between the juice and pulp of carrots and tomatoes during home culinary practices was investigated. Tomato and carrot pulp contained a higher percentage of all pesticide residues, except for mancozeb in tomatoes. Although there was a difference in the relative distribution of the pesticides between the commodities with greater amounts present in the pulp of tomatoes, the pesticides followed a similar trend in both. A relationship between the pulp/juice distribution and water solubility of the pesticide was apparent. Pesticides with the highest water solubility were present to a greater extent in the juice. An exception was noted in the case of diazinon and parathion, which were present in higher amounts in the pulp than their water solubility would suggest. The percent residue in the pulp ranged from 56.4 to 75.2% for carrots, and 49.7 to 95.4% for tomatoes. Residues in the juice prepared from washed commodities ranged from not detected to 0.83 microgram/g. Washing of the produce removed more residue from carrots than from tomatoes, but it did not affect the relative distribution of the residues. The behaviour and fate of the chemical varied with the pesticide as well as the crop.

Daucus carota↗
PubMed2006

Sorption of pesticides on kaolinite and montmorillonite as a function of hydrophilicity.

Pesticides and other organic species are adsorbed by soil via different mechanisms, with bond strengths that depend on the properties of both the soil and the pesticide. Since the clay fraction in soil is a preferential sorbent for organic matter, reference kaolinite and montmorillonite are useful models for studying the mechanism and the strength of sorption. This paper presents the results of batch experiments to investigate the interactions of kaolinite KGa-1 and montmorillonite SWy-1 with the following pesticides and organic species resulting from the natural degradation of pesticides in the environment: atrazine (1-chloro-3-ethylamino-5-isopropylamino-2,4,6-triazine), simazine (1-chloro-3,5-bisethylamino-2,4,6-triazine), diuron [1,1-dimethyl-3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)urea], aniline, 4-chlorophenol, 2,4-dichlorophenol, and 2,4,6-trichlorophenol. Each of these chemicals has different hydrophilicity. Systems containing 2.0 g of clay were put in contact with 100.0 mL of solutions of the pesticides at known concentration ranging from 1.0 to 5.0 mg/L, and the amount of solute adsorbed was evaluated through RP-HPLC analysis of the pesticide still present in the aqueous suspension. To test for electrostatic interactions between the clay surface and the pesticides, potentiometric titration was used to determine the permanent surface charge of clays. Experiments were performed at different pH values. The results indicate that, for the chemicals studied, neutral molecules are preferentially retained relative to ionized ones, and that montmorillonite is a more effective sorbent than kaolinite.

Adsorption↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Migrant farm workers' access to pesticide protection and information: Cultivando Buenos Habitos campaign development.

Formative evaluation of south Georgian migrant farm workers' access to information and products to promote pesticide protection and understanding of cancer risk associated with pesticide exposure was conducted using field observation, in-depth interviews of Georgia's Migrant Health Program's outreach workers, and structured face-to-face surveys of migrant farm workers. The data indicated that fewer than one-third of the pesticide products reviewed contained messages about pesticide use and exposure risk for humans. Risk information on products appeared in English only. Few protective devices were available for purchase. Migrant farm workers were aware in a very general sense of health risks posed by pesticides, but they were specifically unaware of the reach of pesticides sprayed, as illustrated by their field behaviors. Findings also demonstrated the need to educate outreach workers about migrant farm workers' cancer risk, so that they may act as migrant farm workers' health advocates to reduce the adverse effects associated with pesticide exposure.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Effect of long-term exposure to pesticides on plasma esterases from plastic greenhouse workers.

Previous reports in animals considered beta-glucuronidase activity as a novel biomarker of anticholinesterase (organophosphates and carbamates) pesticides exposure. Acid phosphatase activity was also shown to increase after organophosphates exposure. In addition, there is evidence that the paraoxonase status influences sensitivity to specific pesticides. In this study, activities of beta-glucuronidase, acid phosphatase, cholinesterase, and paraoxonase were measured in plasma from plastic greenhouse workers exposed over the long term to different pesticides, including organophosphates and carbamates, in order to evaluate the potential chronic toxicity of pesticides at occupational level. Our results show that activities of paraoxonase and cholinesterase were decreased in applicators of pesticides compared to non-applicators. Likewise, it was found that activities of beta-glucuronidase and acid phosphatase were associated with pesticide exposure in humans, and that both biochemical parameters were related to each other. Interestingly, the paraoxonase B allele (phenotyped in plasma) was associated with a higher risk of inhibition of cholinesterase activity above a 25% level, which supports the hypothesis that paraoxonase phenotypes are associated with susceptibility of humans to anticholinesterase pesticides toxicity.

Acid Phosphatase↗
PubMed1991

Pesticides and the Third World.

Many developing countries are importing industrial processes that make use of toxic chemicals. By the same token, pesticides, which are toxic by design, are also used increasingly in agriculture and in public health programs to control pests and vector-borne diseases. Recent estimates suggest that pesticides account for more than 20,000 fatalities yearly, and that most of these will have occurred in developing countries. This may actually be a gross underreporting. Although organophosphate and carbamate insecticides are still responsible for many of those poisoning cases, herbicides such as paraquat are also increasingly being implicated in fatal poisoning cases. Newer pesticides such as the synthetic derivatives of pyrethrin, which were believed to be relatively safe to humans, now appear to be implicated in some serious cases of intoxication. Community-based pest control using locally available botanical pesticides could have severe consequences unless the toxicity of these compounds is carefully assessed relative to nontarget organisms. A high proportion of pesticide intoxications appear to be due to lack of knowledge, unsafe attitudes, and dangerous practices. The technology available to small farmers for pesticide application is often inappropriate: faulty sprayers, lack of protective equipment adapted to tropical conditions, nonexistent first-aid provisions. Agricultural extension is often not oriented to the transfer of information relative to the dangers inherent in the use of pesticides. The lack of information at all levels may be one of the most important causative factors of chemical intoxication in developing countries. Research should at this time concentrate on behaviors leading to chemical intoxication. This should be done concurrently with proper prospective and retrospective surveys of poisonings in developing country communities. More information should be sought relative to the decision processes of import, legislation, and licensing. Research and development efforts in appropriate technology and safety devices are also critically needed.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Regional variation in the incidence of symptomatic pesticide exposures: applications of geographic information systems.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the epidemiology of symptomatic human pesticide exposures using poison control center data and geographic information systems. METHODS: All symptomatic human pesticide exposures reported to the poison center during the period from January 1 to December 31, 2000 were included for analysis using geographic information systems. A space-time scan statistic was utilized to evaluate for clustering of symptomatic human exposures. RESULTS: Of 322 symptomatic pesticide exposures, 297 (92%) contained spatial identifiers that could be further analyzed using geographic information systems. A spatial and temporal cluster of symptomatic pesticide exposures was identified during the periodfrom April 1 to August 31, 2000, covering a large geographic area of eastern and predominantly rural regions of the state. The relative risk of reporting a symptomatic pesticide exposure among individuals living within this geographic area was 1.8 (log likelihood ratio = 18.5, P = 0.0005). CONCLUSIONS: Geographic information systems can be effectively utilized by poison control centers to study regional and temporal variation in the incidence of human pesticide exposures. With the collection of more specific spatial identifiers, geographic information systems may have many additional applications in the surveillance and prevention of pesticide and other sentinel event exposures.

Cluster Analysis↗
PubMed2001

Case-cohort analysis of agricultural pesticide applications near maternal residence and selected causes of fetal death.

The potential association between fetal death and residential proximity to agricultural pesticide applications was examined in 10 California counties for 1984. A case-cohort analysis utilized 319 cases of selected causes of fetal death other than congenital anomalies and 611 non-cases. A statewide database of all applications of restricted pesticides was linked to maternal address; residential proximity within 1 mile (1.6 km) provided a surrogate for daily exposure. Pesticides were grouped by chemical class and mechanism of acetylcholinesterase inhibition. Multivariate proportional hazards models using time-dependent exposure variables were fit for each pesticide grouping. Overall, pesticides showed no strong association with fetal death. Slightly elevated risks were observed for women who resided near applications of halogenated hydrocarbons, carbamates, estrogenic pesticides, and carbamate acetylcholinesterase inhibitors during the second trimester, with hazard ratios of 1.3 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.0, 1.8), 1.3 (95% CI: 1.0, 1.8), 1.4 (95% CI: 0.8, 2.5), and 1.3 (95% CI: 1.0, 1.8), respectively. In a month-by-month analysis, elevated risks were observed when exposure occurred during gestational months 3 and 4 for carbamates and carbamate inhibitors and during months 4 and 5 for halogenated hydrocarbons. Since previous studies have relied on personal recall of exposure, major strengths of this study were the objective source for environmental pesticide exposure assessment and the use of data on the timing of exposure.

California↗