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 973 records · Page 54Linked to original sources

Analyzing pesticide residues in winter vegetables from Kanpur.

Pesticide residues in food has become a consumer safety issue. The consumer has a right to know how much pesticide gets incorporated in the food he eats. In the first phase of our analysis on pesticides, we identified the problem of pesticide residues in fresh winter vegetables as offered to the consumer of Kanpur. To provide a meaningful ranking of pesticides in crop, for our study we chose twelve most commonly used pesticides and 24 samples of freshly collected vegetables.

Carbamates↗

[Risk for congenital malformations in pregnant women exposed to pesticides in the state od Nayarit, Mexico].

OBJECTIVE: To measure the association between the use of pesticides and congenital malformations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied 279 newborn from mothers living in rural area of Nayarit, a state in the northwest region of México. Cases (n = 93) were defined as newborn with central nervous, face, genital, hip, foot or finger congenital malformations. Controls (n = 186) were newborns without any malformation. We considered as exposure any type of contact with any of the agrochemicals used as pesticides. We evaluated other risk factors such as medical drugs, fever, exposure to radiation, obstetric and family factors, as confoundings. RESULTS: We registered 22 genital malformations, 20 from hip, 19 from the central nervous system, 18 from extremities and 14 cleft-lip or palate. Exposed mothers had high risk of having a malformed child (OR = 3.5, CI95% 2.05-6.34, p < 0.05). Risk was higher if the mother had occupational exposure to pesticides (OR = 6.33, CI95% 2.95-13.7, p < 0.0001) and in mothers living near areas under pesticides treatment (OR = 3.47, CI95% 1.91-6.33, p < 0.0001). Among obstetric factors, abortion and early delivery (OR = 15.05, CI95% 1.82-124.30, p < 0.01) were significant. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows association between exposure to pesticides and congenital malformation. This is a public health problem in Nayarit state and in other rural areas with similar exposure to pesticides.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced↗

Indoor household pesticides: hazardous waste concern or not?

Many indoor household pesticides are efficient and useful tools for a variety of functions necessary to maintain clean, sanitary, and pleasant homes and institutional facilities, and to provide significant public health benefits. They do so by incorporating active ingredients and formulation technology that have not been associated with significant environmental impact in use or when disposed in landfills. Chemical and environmental fate properties, toxicological characteristics, and use patterns of indoor household pesticides that distinguish them from other categories of pesticides which have been associated with environmental contamination should be recognized when HHW policy is debated and established by governmental agencies. Most indoor household pesticides as defined here should not be considered hazardous waste or HHW because those relatively few containers, often no longer full, that have been disposed with MSW over the years have not been associated with environmental contamination. The tiny amounts of those product residues that will reach MSW landfills have been shown, in general, not to have chemical or environmental fate characteristics that would make them susceptible to leaching. Those that do have the potential to leach based on these characteristics, in most cases, do not represent a threat to human health based on toxicological considerations. However, compounds such as propoxur, which are very mobile and relatively persistent in soil and in addition have been associated with significant potential health effects, may be targeted by the screening process as described here and could be selected for further investigation as candidates for special waste management status (such as HHW). Our analysis and recommendations have not been extended to the many types of lawn and garden pesticides that are commonly used by homeowners and are frequently brought to HHW programs. However, their potential for groundwater contamination could also be judged using the same technical considerations as applied in this review to indoor household pesticides. In light of the very high costs of diverting wastes from the MSW stream and into HHW programs, it is recommended that, as a matter of public policy, all categories of household waste that might be considered as HHW be carefully and objectively evaluated for their potential to harm public health or the environment after disposal at MSW landfills.

Hazardous Waste↗

Pesticide exposure and self reported home hygiene: practices in agricultural families.

Little is known about environmental exposure to pesticides and the extent to which exposure is affected by drift from agricultural applications and take home exposure from agricultural workers. The study focused on 24 agricultural families in the northwestern United States and measured levels of organophosphate pesticides (OP) in house dust. Pesticide residues were significantly associated with the number of individuals in the home whose work included high exposure pesticide activities. Mean levels of pesticides were higher in the homes of workers who reported waiting more than 2 hours before changing out of their work clothes compared with homes where workers change within 2 hours after returning from work (p < .01). The results of this study provide evidence that workers can inadvertently carry agricultural chemicals from their work into their homes, thereby increasing the risk of pesticide exposure to other family members inside the home.

Agriculture↗

Pesticides and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

The incidence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) has increased over 50% in the last 15 years. This paper reviews the possible role of pesticides in this increase. While small increases in risk of NHL among farmers have been observed in general occupational surveys, recent studies focusing on specific pesticides have observed much larger risks. Frequent use of phenoxyacetic acid herbicides, in particular, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, has been associated with 2- to 8-fold increases of NHL in studies conducted in Sweden, Kansas, Nebraska, Canada, and elsewhere. Canine malignant lymphoma has also been associated with dog owner use of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and commercial lawn pesticide treatments. There are much fewer data linking NHL to other types of pesticides, but triazine herbicides, organophosphate insecticides, fungicides, and fumigants have also been associated with increased risk of NHL. Pesticide exposures are not limited to agricultural populations but are widespread in the general population through use on lawns, golf courses, rights-of-way, and elsewhere. Since the use of pesticides, particularly phenoxy herbicides, has increased dramatically preceding and during the time period in which the incidence of NHL has increased, they could have contributed to the rising incidence of NHL.

Agricultural Workers' Diseases↗

[Fertility and occupational exposure to pesticides].

The epidemiological studies discussed in this paper are concerned with the association between exposure to pesticides among workers employed in agriculture or greenhouses and pregnancy and semen quality. The results of the studies showed that employment in agriculture increases the risk of specific morphological abnormalities in sperm as well as decreases the sperm count and the percentage of viable sperm. The data on the effect of employment in agriculture on the time of pregnancy are not unequivocal, but most of them suggest the relationship between pesticide exposure and decreased fecundity rate. The studies of the gender ratio of the offspring do not yield explicit results showing that more girls than boys are born to workers exposed to pesticides. The results of the literature review also suggest the need to increase the awareness about potential adverse effects of pesticides on fertility among workers occupationally exposed to them. In the light of the available, alas still insufficient evidence that pesticides exert negative effect on fertility, it is essential to reduce pesticide exposure both among men and women before the planned pregnancy.

Adult↗

Contribution of agricultural and non-agricultural use of pesticides to the environmental impact on aquatic life in regional surface water systems.

By means of a modelling tool an analysis was made of the local variation in the use of pesticides in the province of Utrecht in The Netherlands, and the potential environmental impact of pesticide emissions on the aquatic ecosystems. The aim of this study was to identify and quantify the major sources of pesticide use and environmental impact, taking the regional variation of pesticide use into account. The analysis was targeted at different levels: detailed (individual active substances, individual agricultural crops, civil land-use types, hydrological catchment basins) and globally covering agricultural use, non-agricultural use (some civil sectors) and recreational shipping. The results can be used for the (re)design of environmental monitoring programmes of pesticides in surface waters and for the development of region based policies towards sustainable pesticide use. The analysis tool that was developed is considered to be applicable for other regions as well.

Agriculture↗

Comparing two methods of examination in the interaction study of a pesticide and a heavy metal.

The use of pesticides in field application involves the risk of poisoning wild animals. The reproduction period of pheasant takes place at the same time as the spraying time of pesticides, which justifies, that we evaluate in a point of the ecotoxicologic view the influence of the pesticide on progressive avian embryo. The most frequent technical way is injecting the exam stuffs to the some part of the embryonated eggs under the bird teratological trials. The advantage of this method is that it can be injected in a correct measured dose into the optional part of eggs. The disadvantage of this method is that it can't model properly the influence on the environment. If adverse effect of the embraced chemical substance on the embryo is experienced under the study, it will be necessary to use an immersion treatment. This procedure shows only the possible indirect influence of the pesticide on the embryo but it can suitably model its influence in plant protection practice. Treatment was done on day 12 of incubation. Applied concentration of heavy element (Cd sulphate) was 0.01% and the concentration of pesticide (Dithane M-45) was 0.2%. Evaluation was done on day 19 of incubation. Injection treatment: the simultaneous administration of Cd sulphate and the 80% mancozeb containing fungicide formulation on day 12 of incubation did not result in a significant decrease in the average body weight of embryos compared to neither the control nor the pesticide individually treated group. At the same time the body weight of embryos significantly decreased because of combined administration as compared to the Cd sulphate treated group. The embryo mortality and the incidence of developmental anomalies markedly increased after the simultaneous administration. Immersion treatment: the combined administration of Cd sulphate and the mancozeb containing fungicide formulation on day 12 of incubation did not result in a significant decrease in the average body mass of embryos compared to neither the control nor the individually treated groups. The number of embryo mortality was very high after the simultaneous administration. The incidence of developmental anomalies was sporadic.

Animals↗

Acute and chronic disability among U.S. farmers and pesticide applicators: the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS).

The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) is a multipurpose household survey of the U.S. civilian non-institutionalized population conducted annually since 1957. From 1986 to 1994, over 450,000 U.S. workers, age 18 years and older, participated in a probability sampling of the entire non-institutionalized U.S. population; variables collected included a range of measures of acute and chronic disability. The objective of the present study was to assess predictors of health status, and acute and chronic disability for farmers and pesticide applicators (pesticide-exposed workers) compared to all other U.S. workers using the 1986-1994 NHIS. After adjustment for sample weights and design effects using SUDAAN, several measures of acute and chronic disability and health status were modeled with multiple logistic regression. Farmers (n = 9576) were significantly older compared to all other U.S. workers (n = 453,219) and pesticide applicators (n = 180). Farmers and pesticide applicators had a higher proportion of males, whites, and Hispanics and were less educated. After adjusting for age, gender, race-ethnicity, and education, compared to all other workers, farmers were significantly less likely to report acute and chronic disability and health conditions, while pesticide applicators were more likely to report chronic disability, health conditions, and poor health. Given the cross-sectional nature of the data and the significant job demands of farming, both leading to a relative healthy worker effect, the present results indicate that at any point in time, farmers report less acute and chronic disability, compared to other U.S. workers, whereas pesticide applicators report similar or poorer health.

Acute Disease↗

Biochemical indicators of hepatotoxic effects of pesticides.

Pesticides can cause damage to man and beneficial organisms. Some sub-lethal effects of pesticides were studied in birds with a view to identifying characteristic biochemical responses that may be useful for the monitoring of exposure to sub-lethal levels in the field. Pesticides were used: demeton-S-methyl, (DSM), chlorpyriphos, chlorfenviphos, triazophos, pirimicarb, methiocarb and permethrin. Blood was collected before dosing, and 2, 6, 24, 48 and 72 hours after the treatment from the brachial vein of birds. Enzyme activities were assayed in the plasma or serum samples obtained. The assays used were GOT, MDH, GDH, SDH, GAMMA GT and ChE. The results showed an increase in plasma and serum GOT and gamma-GT levels were found in all animals treated with the previous pesticides. The level of ChE increased in birds after treatment with permethrin. It was concluded that the pesticides cause structural and functional changes in the liver and also, the measurement of the previous parameter activities may be useful for assessing exposure and sub-lethal effects of pesticides on the wildlife.

Animals↗

Drawing-up of pesticide selectivity lists to beneficial arthropods for IPM programmes in potato.

In order to promote IPM programmes in potato, the toxicity of 19 fungicides, 4 herbicides and 11 insecticides commonly used in this crop in Belgium was assessed on three beneficial arthropods. These species were representative of the most important aphid specific natural enemies encountered in potatoes: a parasitic wasp--Aphidius rhopalosiphi (De Stefani-Perez) (Hym., Aphidiidae), a ladybird--Adalia bipunctata (L.) (Col., Coccinellidae) and a hoverfly--Episyrphus balteatus (Dipt., Syrphidae). In a first time, pesticides were tested on glass plates on A. rhopalosiphi adults and A. bipunctata and E. balteatus larvae. For each insect, products inducing corrected mortality (Mc) lower than 30% were directly classified in a positive list for harmless products (green list). The other compounds were further tested on plants and listed in toxicity classes according to mortalities induced during this extended laboratory test: harmless (Mc < 30%), slightly harmful (30% < Mc < 60%), moderately harmful (60% < Mc < 80%) and harmful (Mc > 80). A chemical determination of pesticides residues was also performed for each experiment in order to determine the exposure of beneficial arthropods to pesticide residues and to validate the application of chemicals on tested substrates. On the basis of the results of acute toxicity tests, the period of each pesticide use according to normal agricultural practices and the abundance and importance of the three different groups of aphid natural enemies at different periods of the year, four pesticides lists were built up. Each list corresponded to a different period of pesticides application: Period I--from seedling to beginning of June (based on A. rhopalosiphi tests), Period II--beginning to end of June (based on A. rhopalosiphi tests), Period III beginning to end of July (based on E. balteatus and A. bipunctata tests) and Period IV--August to harvest (no exposure of beneficials). Results showed that herbicides were not toxic to the three species and can be used according to normal agricultural practices without restrictions. All fungicides can also be used without restrictions at recommended rates. Only the mixture Metalaxyl-M + Fluazinam was slightly harmful to A. bipunctata but had no effects on A. rhopalosiphi and E. balteatus. Results were more contrasted for insecticides and none of them was totally selective for all the 3 beneficial arthropods. Therefore, they can only be used with restrictions at periods II and III, according to the beneficial species that need to be protected.

Animals↗

[Investigation on the detection of pesticide residue in vegetable based on infrared spectroscopy].

In this paper, the mid-infrared Attenuated Total Reflection (ATR) spectra of two slathered pesticides dichlorvos and trichlorfon in vegetable juice solution have been investigated. It can be concluded that within characteristic absorption region of the two pesticides in the mid-infrared range, the pigments inside the vegetable have no effect on the pesticide' s absorbance; pesticides in standard solution and vegetable juice solution share almost the same absorbance characteristics. These results indicate that: the authors can use the model built by the absorbance data of pesticides in water solution to simulate their absorbance in vegetable solution, then based upon infrared spectroscopy, the direct detection of pesticide residue on the vegetable can be achieved; it also provides a possible way of rapid detection on vegetable in the future.

Carbon Dioxide↗

Pesticide retention in the watershed and in a small constructed wetland treating diffuse pollution.

Loss of pesticides is likely from watersheds where pesticides are used. The herbicides propachlor, linuron and metamitron, and the fungicides propiconazole, fenpropimorph and metribuzin and metalaxyl, were applied on an arable soil plot. A mass balance study showed that approximately 96% of the applied pesticides disappeared within the watershed. Three pesticides remained as residuals in the soil profile one year after the application. The 4% of the pesticides that were lost from the watershed gave peak concentrations, appearing immediately after spraying, reaching levels that can be hazardous to aquatic life. The constructed wetland situated in the first-order stream generally managed to lower the peak concentrations significantly. For the summer season, retention varied from 12 to 67% the first year. The second year, we observed both loss and retention. Increasing the wetland surface from 0.2% to 0.4% of the watershed area increased the average retention with 21% units the first year and 9% units the second year. Chemical properties of the pesticides could explain some of the behaviour in the watershed and in the wetland.

Adsorption↗

Evaluation of two fast and easy methods for pesticide residue analysis in fatty food matrixes.

Two rapid methods of sample preparation and analysis of fatty foods (e.g., milk, eggs, and avocado) were evaluated and compared for 32 pesticide residues representing a wide range of physicochemical properties. One method, dubbed the quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) method for pesticide residue analysis, entailed extraction of 15 g sample with 15 mL acetonitrile (MeCN) containing 1% acetic acid followed by addition of 6 g anhydrous magnesium sulfate and 1.5 g sodium acetate. After centrifugation, 1 mL of the buffered MeCN extract underwent a cleanup step (in a technique known as dispersive solid-phase extraction) using 50 mg each of C18 and primary secondary amine sorbents plus 150 mg MgSO4. The second method incorporated a form of matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD), in which 0.5 g sample plus 2 g C18 and 2 g anhydrous sodium sulfate was mixed in a mortar and pestle and added above a 2 g Florisil column on a vacuum manifold. Then, 5 x 2 mL MeCN was used to elute the pesticide analytes from the sample into a collection tube, and the extract was concentrated to 0.5 mL by evaporation. Extracts in both methods were analyzed concurrently by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. The recoveries of semi-polar and polar pesticides were typically 100% in both methods (except that basic pesticides, such as thiabendazole and imazalil, were not recovered in the MSPD method), but recovery of nonpolar pesticides decreased as fat content of the sample increased. This trend was more pronounced in the QuEChERS method, in which case the most lipophilic analyte tested, hexachlorobenzene, gave 27 +/- 1% recovery (n=6) in avocado (15% fat) with a<10 ng/g limit of quantitation.

Animals↗

Metabolic susceptibility to agricultural pesticides and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Epidemiologic studies have failed to establish clearly whether agricultural pesticides contribute to the genesis of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Discordant results may be related to variation in susceptibility factors, including metabolism gene polymorphisms that might influence lymphocyte exposures to active pesticide metabolites. Associations between NHL and polymorphisms that may be relevant to pesticide metabolism have been assessed, including CYP1A1 and glutathione S-transferase variants, but the results are not highly informative because estimates were based on small numbers and convenience samples of cases and controls. Butyrylcholinesterase and paraoxonase (PON1) enzyme variants associated with altered activity and acute organophosphate toxicity are strong candidate susceptibility factors for pesticides and NHL, but others may be identified as knowledge of pesticide metabolism and relevant polymorphisms improves. Studies of metabolic susceptibility must be large and include information on specific exposures and subtypes of NHL for results to further the understanding of the relation between agricultural pesticides and NHL.

Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System↗

Agricultural pesticides and lymphoproliferative childhood cancer in California.

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated whether the rates of lymphoproliferative malignancies among children are elevated in areas of intensive agricultural pesticide use in the state of California in the United States. METHODS: The study included all newly diagnosed, statewide cases of childhood lymphoma and acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 1988-1994 among children aged <15 years. Of the 2642 cases (over 6.6 million children in California and 46 million child-years of observation) during this period, 2570 (97.3%) could be successfully geocoded for the analyses. An a priori classification of the >850 chemical agents reported in use during the study was developed by assigning the agents to eight chemical groupings of interest and identifying seven individual high-use agents with high potential toxicity. Rate ratios for neighborhood (block group) levels of pesticide use were estimated with a Poisson regression and adjustment for age, race and ethnicity, and gender. RESULTS: The rates of childhood lymphoma and leukemia were not generally higher in high pesticide-use areas. Those of Hodgkin's disease, although based on small numbers (N=258), were slightly elevated in the areas with the highest use of several pesticide groupings. CONCLUSIONS: The generally null results in this study systematically examining the risk relationships for residential proximity to agricultural pesticide use stand in contrast to existing epidemiologic literature suggesting elevated childhood cancer risks from reported household pesticide use. These differences may be due to different chemical agents or to differences in indoor versus outdoor exposure potential or both. Future studies should use refined methods that better characterize the exposure potential for children to these agents.

California↗

Implications for epidemiologic research on variation by pesticide in studies of farmers and their families.

Epidemiologic studies rely on participants' recall to classify their exposure to specific pesticides. As exposure classification evolves, an important issue is whether the recall of pesticide application details can be used to derive measures of exposure intensity or cumulative exposure. A preliminary analysis of biomonitoring data for farmers before, during, and after a pesticide application suggests variation for different pesticides in the proportion with detectable urinary concentrations, urinary levels, and patterns of uptake and elimination. These findings, and the limited predictive modeling done to date, suggest that chemical-specific differences need to be considered in exposure classification schemes. An analysis of biomonitoring data for farm spouses and children found few with appreciable changes in the urinary concentration after a pesticide application. These findings point to the need to validate assumptions about exposures in studies of people who are not directly involved in pesticide application.

Agricultural Workers' Diseases↗

[Exposure to pesticides among pregnant women working in agriculture].

BACKGROUND: Pesticides have been used since the early days of modern agriculture. They are biologically active compounds that may pose a grave risk to health during or after their use. The available data, documenting pesticide exposures and related health effects in farmers, especially in pregnant women, are limited. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Women were informed that the purpose of the research was to gather information about the exposure to pesticides during pregnancy. They were asked to provide information about their work in the field, spraying or preparatory work (washing clothes after spraying, cleaning, spraying equipment, preparing mixture for spraying). We received information about all spraying in household during woman's pregnancy, trade names of pesticides, names of active ingredients, type of cultivation and its area. RESULTS: The survey of pregnant women working in agriculture provided us with knowledge of potential hazards resulting from their work during pregnancy, especially from their involvement in spraying or preparatory work and working in the field after spraying. Other data obtained informed us what kind of pesticides were used in agriculture. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate the necessity for increasing awareness of potential exposure to pesticides and their harmful effect among workers, especially among pregnant women. There is also a need to estimate real exposure via biological monitoring.

Adult↗