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PubMed1994

Removal of pesticides from wastewater at golf courses using plants (removal by mung beans; Phaseolus radiatus L).

Many studies have been done on the removal of pollutants from wastewater using aquatic plants. Water hyacinth has been the most widely-used plant, and systems using water hyacinth are well-established. These systems, however, have a few problems in their practical use. In a previous paper, we proposed a new system that could be used as a substitute for a conventional system or, as a secondary system to assist the conventional one. Mung beans will be used to remove pollutants in this system. In the previous experiment, the removal characteristics of nutrient salts such as NO2-, NO3-, NH4+ and phosphorus salts from wastewater in residential areas were examined. Mung beans exhibited good characteristics for removing these nutrient salts. At present, pesticides used at golf courses have become a severe environmental problem polluting water supplies. The purpose of this study was, therefore, to verify whether our new system using mung beans was also effective in removing pesticides from wastewater at golf courses. An experiment was conducted on seven different pesticides. They were three insecticides; Diazinon, Fenitrothion and Chlorpyrifos, three fungicides; Captan, Isoprothiolane and Chlorothalonil, and a herbicide; Simazine. The experimental results showed that, under experimental conditions, the pesticides were rapidly removed and that they exhibited no harmful effects on the growth of the mung beans. Mung beans may be used, therefore, to remove pesticides from wastewater at golf courses although further research is needed.

Fabaceae↗
PubMed1994

[Diagnostic value of studies of amino acid metabolism during prolonged contact with pesticides].

Amino acid metabolism was studied experimentally during prolonged administration of a mixture of organochlorine, -metallic, and -phosphorus pesticides and in subjects occupationally exposed to pesticides for a long time. A marked increase of blood serum and liver levels of ser, glu, gly, ala, val, isolei, tyr, phen and a decrease of cystine were detected in white rats. Blood serum serine and threonine hydratases activities increased in parallel with increase of pesticide mixture dose. Reduced levels of taurine, cystine, methionine, alanine and increased levels of phenylalanine were revealed in subjects after prolonged exposure to pesticides. Analysis of blood serum amino acid metabolism parameters may be used as diagnostic criteria of metabolic disorders in a body exposed to pesticides.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Pesticide poisoning among farmers in a health area in Sri Lanka.

OBJECTIVES: 1. To determine the incidence and the prevalence of pesticide poisoning in Kelaniya Medical Officer of Health (MOH) area. 2. To establish causes of pesticide poisoning in the community. DESIGN: Questionnaire survey based on 10% cluster sample of agricultural workers. SETTING: Kelaniya MOH area situated 10 km north-east of Colombo, during April 1986 to May 1987. FUNDING: Natural Resources Energy and Science Authority of Sri Lanka. RESULTS: The percentage of pesticide users ever poisoned in the past was 21.7% and during the year before the study was 7.5%. CONCLUSION: Lack of knowledge on pesticides and inability to afford protective clothing are the major factors contributing to pesticide poisoning.

Agricultural Workers' Diseases↗
PubMed1994

Pesticide labels: proven protection or superficial safety?

BACKGROUND: The readability of restricted-use pesticide labels is an important element in preventing misuse and unsafe application practices. METHODS: An optometric analysis of 54 pesticide labels was conducted to determine the visual acuity required to read the average general use label. Additionally, a survey of 1623 Wyoming residents was conducted to determine the extent label directions are read, understood, and adhered to. RESULTS: A visual acuity of 20/30 and 20/40 is required to read the average general use and restricted use pesticide label, respectively. The mean and mode cognitive reading level required is the 11th grade. About half of the sample population read the label and two thirds reported always following label directions. CONCLUSIONS: A significant proportion of the American public can not or does not read or understand pesticide labels and does not follow the label instructions. Essential pesticide use and safety information is not being effectively communicated to the public.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Environmental activation of pesticides.

Spray drift from application sites, runoff from agricultural fields, leftover products from home use, and accidental spills have made pesticide contamination ubiquitous in the environment. As a pesticide moves through the environment, it may react through chemical and biotic processes such as hydrolysis, oxidation, or reduction, or be metabolized in microorganisms, animals, plants, and humans. Most reactions will be inactivations, forming degradation products less toxic or persistent than the parent compound. However, some reactions are activations, creating breakdown products equally or more toxic, persistent, or mobile than the parent and posing a greater threat to nontarget organisms and the environment. Examples are drawn from the major classes of pesticides including organochlorine compounds (DDT and aldrin), organophosphorus pesticides (malathion), carbamate pesticides (aldicarb), and fungicides to illustrate the various activation routes.

Ecosystem↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The pesticide-exposed worker: an approach to the office evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Pesticide exposures have clinical, epidemiological, legal, and political ramifications that go beyond the confines of a physician's office. The examination of the employee who has been exposed to a pesticide should be undertaken in an organized and methodical manner so that specific questions of causality can be answered and treatment can be initiated. METHODS: Five representative case studies illustrate different circumstances in which a pesticide injury can be seen in the office setting. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: A wide range of pesticides is used in business and home, and the dangers of misdiagnosis, maldiagnosis, underdiagnosis, and overdiagnosis are especially common given the variety of chemicals used. The exposed employee must be removed from the source of exposure. Complete decontamination is a primary concern, and patients with unstable vital signs will need to be hospitalized. A methodical office examination, however, can be carried out on many exposed employees. A detailed description of the circumstances of the exposure should be elicited, and the chemical implicated in the exposure should be researched. A pesticide exposure is a sentinel event in the life of a patient and also suggests that other employees can be exposed. Such an exposure needs to be carefully assessed and documented, and proper treatment must be rendered. Further, the exposure can represent the first of many other exposures that might or might not be reported. Proper notification of authorities can limit exposures before they become severe.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Organochlorine and organophosphorus pesticide residues in food from Egyptian local markets.

A market basket survey was conducted to monitor organochlorine and organophosphorus pesticide residues in potatoes, citrus fruits, and fish collected from local Egyptian markets. Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) of the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues for gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) in potatoes were exceeded in 8 samples and for DDT in 2 samples. The aging of HCH and DDT indicated a recent use of both pesticides during the potato storage period between cultivation seasons. However, such use is illegal because HCH mixture isomers (gammaxane) and DDT have been officially prohibited from agricultural use in Egypt since 1980. The highest residue levels of fenitrothion (3.8 ppm) in potatoes may be due to its repeated use before and after harvest. No organochlorine pesticide residues were found in citrus fruits. None of the detected organophosphorus pesticides exceeded their MRLs. HCH and DDT residue limits were exceeded in 5 and 7 fish samples, respectively, collected from 12 markets throughout the country. The heptachlor MRL was violated in only one fish sample (3.9 ppm).

Chromatography, Gas↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Method for measuring base/neutral and carbamate pesticides in personal dietary samples.

Dietary uptake may be a significant pathway of exposure to contaminants. As such, dietary exposure assessments should be considered an important part of the total exposure assessment process. The objective of this work was to develop reliable methods that are applicable to a wide range of base/neutral and carbamate-type pesticides in duplicate diet samples collected as part of dietary exposure assessment studies. The resulting method needed to be sensitive to concentrations below 1 ng/g, accurate and precise, and as simple and cost effective as possible. As a first step, information was gathered on current methods for measuring pesticides in foods. Although the literature methods could serve as a starting point, few had been applied to duplicate diet samples and detection limits were generally high (10 to 100 ng/g). Experimental work was performed to evaluate individual extraction, cleanup, and analysis procedures; link the most promising procedures into analysis methods; and generate performance data on the final method. The final method used Soxhlet extraction with solvent partitioning and gel permeation chromatography cleanup. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry was used for the analysis of base/neutral pesticides. High performance liquid chromatography analysis was used for the analysis of carbamate pesticides. Results of performance testing showed good accuracy (recovery > 70%), precision (% RSD < 25%), and sensitivity (method detection limits < 1.0 ng/g) for most pesticides targeted for study.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗
PubMed1976

Pesticide residues in total diet samples, Spain--1971-72.

Average pesticide residue levels were determined for the 17 main food groups in the average Spanish diet. Using these levels and the estimated average intake of these foods, authors computed an individual's average daily consumption of pesticides from each of these food groups and her/his total diet. Foods were acquired over a 1-year period from the market of Valencia, a city that gets supplies from an agricultural area where pesticide consumption is appreciably higher than that of the rest of the country. Thus average residue levels found must be higher than the national average. Except for fruits and vegetables, the different items composing each food group were sampled in proportion to the amount consumed in the average Spanish diet. Foods forming each group were homogenized into composite samples. All foods were analyzed raw. The most frequently detected pesticides were DDT and BHC. Malathion was detected at levels less than 0.10 ppm in some samples of vegetable oils, pears, and apples. DDT and BHC levels varied from undetectable to amounts less than 1.0 ppm. Highest levels were found in lard. An individual's average daily intake of pesticides was calculated to be 78 mug DDT, a sum which includes residues of o,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDT, and p,p'-DDE, and 13.8 mug gamma-BHC. These levels are much lower than the maximum acceptable daily limits established by the United Nations Food Agricultural Organization and World Health Organization.

Chromatography, Gas↗
PubMed1998

Occupational exposure to pesticides and congenital malformations: a review of mechanisms, methods, and results.

Pesticides are chemicals that are widely used all over the world. Human beings can be exposed through environmental contamination and/or occupational use of pesticides. Although there is substantial information on the acute toxicity of many of these chemicals, available knowledge on delayed effects is much more limited. This paper reviews epidemiological studies on occupational exposure to pesticides, mainly in agricultural workers, and risk of congenital malformations. The discussion includes postulated mechanisms for birth defects from paternal or maternal exposure, a detailed review of method of the studies carried out so far on the relationship between occupational exposure to pesticides and congenital malformations, and a summary of main results obtained. From available information, it seems reasonable to conclude that, to date, there is inadequate evidence for either establishing a relationship between pesticides exposure in human beings and birth defects or for rejecting it. Avoiding the main limitations of previous studies, some of the key elements for future research are presented.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced↗
PubMed1998

[Delayed health effects of pesticides: review of current epidemiological knowledge].

The use of pesticides has extensively grown in the last decades, regardless of the economic level of the countries. This led to great improvements in agriculture but also a threat for human health. Short term effects are quite well known through approval procedures for pesticides. On the other hand, long term effects are not properly assessed. A review of epidemiologic knowledge is presented here. Epidemiologic studies on pesticides have found associations with long-term effects on health mainly in three fields: cancer (especially hematological cancer), neurotoxic effects (polyneuropathy, neuro-behavioral hazards, Parkinson's disease), and reproductive disorders (infertility, birth defects, adverse pregnancy outcomes, perinatal mortality). These conclusions have been obtained despite difficulties in exposition assessment due to the retrospective nature of the studies. But the continuous development of pesticide use in agriculture, and also in domestic environment, emphasizes the need for epidemiologic studies on long-term effects of pesticides relying on accurate exposure assessment.

Environmental Exposure↗
PubMed1989

Cholinesterase activity depression among California agricultural pesticide applicators.

Cholinesterase activity measurements for 542 California agricultural pesticide applicators under medical supervision during the first 9 months of 1985 were analyzed. Twenty-six workers, 4.8% of the sample, had cholinesterase values at or below the California threshold values for removal from continued exposure to cholinesterase-inhibiting pesticides (60% of baseline for red blood cell cholinesterase and 50% of baseline for plasma cholinesterase activity). Eight of these 26 workers, 31.5%, had pesticide-related illnesses. Pesticides most frequently associated with cholinesterase depressions exceeding California threshold values included mevinphos (Phosdrin), oxydemeton methyl (Metasystox-R), methomyl (Lannate), and acephate (Orthene); these pesticides included organophosphates in toxicity categories I and II and one carbamate in toxicity category I.

Agricultural Workers' Diseases↗
PubMed2006

A simple and inexpensive "solvent in silicone tube extraction" approach and its evaluation in the gas chromatographic analysis of pesticides in fruits and vegetables.

A novel, simple, and inexpensive approach to sorptive extraction, which we call solvent in silicone tube extraction (SiSTEx), was applied to pesticide residue analysis and its effectiveness and efficiency were evaluated. In SiSTEx, which is a form of open tubular sorptive extraction, a piece of silicone tubing (4 cm long, 1.47 mm ID, 1.96 mm OD in this study) is attached to the cap of a 20 mL glass vial that contains the aqueous sample. The tubing is plugged at the end dangling in the sample solution, and MeCN (e.g., 40 microL) added by syringe to the inner tube volume through a septum in the cap. A stir-bar is used to mix the sample for a certain time (e.g., 60 min), which allows chemicals to partition into the tubing where they diffuse across the silicone and partition into the MeCN. The final MeCN extract is then analyzed for the concentrated analytes. In this study, the SiSTEx approach was evaluated for the analysis of organophosphorus (OP) and organochlorine (OC) pesticides in fruits and vegetables using GC/pulsed flame photometric (PFPD) and halogen specific (XSD) detectors for analysis. The produced samples were initially extracted by a rapid MeCN procedure, and 5 mL of the initial extract was diluted four-fold with water to undergo sorptive extraction for 60 min. The final extract was analyzed by GC/PFPD + XSD for 14 OP and 22 OC pesticides. This simple approach was able to detect 26 of the 36 pesticides at 10 ng/g or less original equivalent sample concentration with average reproducibility of 11% RSD. For those 26 pesticides, a 44-fold lower detection limit on average was achieved in matrix extracts using SiSTEx despite the four-fold dilution with water.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1995

Further development for testing the effects of pesticides on wolf spiders.

Based on preliminary guidelines of the "Biologische Bundesanstalt für Land- und Forstwirtschaft" (BBA, Germany) for testing the effects of pesticides on wolf spiders (genus Pardosa, Lycosidae, Araneae), two test series were carried out with the pesticides Karate (a.i. lambda-cyhalothrin) and a noname product. At start of the test the pesticides were applied onto spiders and a sand substrate with an application apparatus. Thereafter, the mortality, the behavior, and the feeding rate were observed up to 14 days. Ninety-eight percent of the tested individuals belonged to the species Pardosa amentata. The results of the Karate experiments indicated a considerably higher reaction for males than for females. The aggression of the spiders proved to be a stress factor when the vessel was inhabited by more than one spider and caused higher mortality in individuals treated with pesticides. Spiders raised from cocoons in the laboratory were in general less sensitive than animals collected in the field and accustomed to laboratory conditions. Experiments performed with the noname pesticide in different seasons revealed that the sensitivity of the animals was influenced by their age. The parameters of mortality, behavior, and feeding rate proved to provide data adequate for evaluating the lethal and sublethal effects of the substances examined.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Age Factors↗
PubMed1997

Health care for pesticide applicators in a locust eradication campaign in Kuwait (1988-1989).

Pesticide applicators in the Plant Protection Department of the Agriculture Affairs and Fish Resources Authority are monitored regularly by the Occupational Health Section of the Ministry of Health. The aim is to protect them from the adverse effects of pesticides and to prevent acute poisoning by removing from exposure those who have low cholinesterase (ChE) activity levels or low white blood cell counts. Thirty-eight workers routinely examined in July 1988 were reexamined at the onset of the locust invasion in Kuwait in November 1988; also examined were 36 farmers recruited for the first time to fight locusts and a matched control group of 38 firefighters. After 2 to 3 months, when the locust invasion decreased markedly and pesticide spraying nearly stopped, the exposed workers were reexamined. The pesticides used to control locusts were five organophosphates and one organochlorine (lindane). Sixty percent of normal for red blood cell (RBC) ChE activity and 50% of normal for plasma ChE activity were used as threshold levels for removing workers from continued exposure to ChE-inhibiting pesticides. The different reactions of study groups during the locust control period are described, including results from tests of pulmonary function, RBC and plasma ChE activity, and nerve conduction velocity.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Subclinical health effects of environmental pesticide contamination in a developing country: cholinesterase depression in children.

The effect of exposure to pesticides among children in a Nicaraguan community in the path of rain water runoff from a large crop-dusting airport was evaluated by measuring plasma cholinesterase. Mean cholinesterase activity in 17 children in the path of runoff was 2.4 international units/ml blood/min, lower than the 2.9 IU/ml/min measured in a group of 43 children from an unexposed community (difference=0.49 IU/ml/min; 95% C.I. 0.24, 0.76). Six (35%) of the 17 exposed children had abnormally low cholinesterase levels. A possible explanation for this physiological effect of exposure to pesticides is the dermal absorption which may have occurred among children playing barefoot in puddles grossly contaminated by runoff from the airport. Drinking water from a well in the exposed community demonstrated low level residues of cholinesterase-inhibiting pesticides, although contamination with toxaphene (not a cholinesterase inhibitor) exceeded by over 8-fold the United States Environmental Protection Agency maximum permissible concentration in drinking water. The difficulty in measuring health effects resulting from environmental pesticide contamination, and in controlling exposure resulting from the rapidly increasing use of pesticides, is a growing problem for developing countries like Nicaragua.

Child↗
PubMed2000

Health complaints related to pesticide stored at a public health clinic.

Employees at a health center in Georgia were concerned that symptoms experienced by some employees were related to pesticide exposure at the center. Malathion and DDT, used for mosquito control from 1969 to 1981, had been stored and handled at the center's first floor. We surveyed 117 (91%) of 129 employees to determine whether reported symptoms were associated with pesticide exposure. We performed environmental sampling for pesticides. We analyzed serum samples for 17 chlorinated pesticides, and urine samples for malathion. We found that 37% of the participants had reported a diagnosis of sinusitis and 24% of bronchitis since working at the health center. Frequently reported symptoms were eye irritation (44%) and headache (68%). DDT and malathion were found at levels of 2.4 and 11%, respectively, in bulk samples from the loading dock of the building. Multivariate analysis of responses to the questionnaire showed that the perception of odors, inadequate air flow, and length of employment were significantly associated with the employees' health complaints. Pesticide concentrations in employees' serum and urine samples were not associated with any health complaint. The health complaints reported by the employees at the health center were precipitated by both environmental and psychological factors. The epidemiology and laboratory components of this study highlight the importance of obtaining biological measurements in episodes of perceived environmental exposure.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Pesticide illness, farm practices, and neurological symptoms among farm residents in Colorado.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the association between pesticides and neurological symptoms among a population exposed to organophosphate chemicals as a result of agricultural use. Chronic sequelae of acute pesticide poisoning from organophosphate compounds include a variety of neurological symptoms including restlessness, irritability, and trouble sleeping. Individuals who have had an acute pesticide poisoning have been reported to suffer a wide range of neurological symptoms that occur from weeks to months after the initial episode. Data for this study came from a cross-sectional survey of farmers and their spouses conducted in an eight-county area in north-eastern Colorado. Neurological characteristics were assessed to determine their relationship with previously reported pesticide-related illnesses. Symptoms that were significantly associated with a previous poisoning were difficulty concentrating [OR 2.07, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.22, 3.50]; relatives noticing person had trouble remembering things (OR 2.54, 95% CI 1.47, 4.39); making notes to remember things (OR 2.18, 95% CI 1.20, 3.97); finding it hard to understand the meaning of newspapers, magazines, and books (OR 1.90, 95% CI 1.01, 3.60); felt irritable (OR 1.84, 95% CI 1.08, 3.12); felt depressed (OR 2.82, 95% CI 1.65, 4.81); had heart palpitations without exertion (OR 2.83, 95% CI 1.22, 6.54); sleeping more than usual (OR 3.58, 95% CI 1.95, 6.58); difficulty moving fingers or grasping things (OR 2.08, 95% CI 1.06, 3.24); and headaches at least once a week (OR 1.85, 95% CI 1.06, 3.24). Stepwise regression was used to identify the best explanatory model of pesticide-related illness. Variables that were associated with increased odds of illness were being male, being depressed, sleeping too much, and using crop organophosphates.

Adult↗