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PubMed1997

Psychiatric disorders among Egyptian pesticide applicators and formulators.

Two hundred eight pesticide formulators, 172 pesticide applicators, and 223 control subjects (72 from an urban region matching the pesticide formulators and 151 from a rural area matching the pesticide applicators) underwent psychiatric assessment. The study aimed to screen for psychiatric morbidity using a standardized screening tool, the General Health Questionnaire, and a widely recognized system of diagnosis and classification, the revised third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Psychiatric Disorders (DSM-III-R). Significantly higher frequencies of psychiatric disorders were found in the exposed groups. The predominant diagnosis was depressive neurosis; the most frequent symptoms were irritability and erectile dysfunction. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Agricultural Workers' Diseases↗
PubMed2001

Environmental pesticide exposure as a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease: a case-control study.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of pesticide exposure on the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD), taking into account the potentially confounding factors (genetic, occupational exposure, and sociodemographic). The 1924 study participants (>70 years old) were randomly selected in the Saguenay-Lac Saint-Jean region (Quebec, Canada). The AD diagnosis was established in three steps according to recognized criteria. Sixty-eight cases were paired with a nondemented control for age (+/-2 years) and sex. Structured questionnaires addressed to subjects and proxy respondents allowed a description of the sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle characteristics, and residential, occupational, familial, and medical histories. Assessment of environmental exposure to pesticides was based on residential histories and the agriculture census histories of Statistics Canada (1971-1991) for herbicide and insecticide spraying in the area. Statistical analyses were performed with a logistic regression, adjusting for potential confounding factors. The results failed to show a significant risk of AD with an exposure to herbicides, insecticides, and pesticides. However, future investigations are needed to establish more precisely the identification, measurement, mobility, and bioavailability of neurotoxic pesticide residues in relation to AD.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Special problems experienced with pesticide use in developing countries.

The developing countries comprise more than 75% of the total world population covering most of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and South Europe. Their warm climate favors cultivation of many strategic crops including cotton, rubber, rice, corn, spices, tea, coffee, cocoa beans, sugarcane, tobacco, legumes, tropical and subtropical fruits, and vegetables. They are bound to the industrialized countries for exporting their cash crops and importing all production equipment and materials including pesticides and fertilizers. They suffer from illiteracy, overpopulation, and low standards of living. Their deficient economy and infrastructure hinder their ability to regulate efficiently registration of pesticides. Their inhabitants are at high risk due to the acute and chronic adverse health effects induced by pesticide exposure under both occupational and epidemiological conditions. Their legislations, regulations, technical capabilities, and medical care need to be upgraded to a reliable standard. This is essential for the global welfare because any hazardous pesticides dumped or released in the environment in these countries will not be dissipated but can reappear as residues in imported raw foods or by destroying terrestrial and aquatic life, through their transportation within the atmosphere, or in liquid discharges to soil and water bodies. International assistance and support are badly needed by United Nations Agencies, mainly WHO, UNEP, FAO, ILO, IPCS, IRPTC, and other relevant international organizations.

Agriculture↗
PubMed1992

Exposure to pesticide mixer/loaders and applicators in California.

Pesticide exposure occurs both when preparing (mixing/loading) the pesticide for application and when actually applying the pesticide. Equipment cleanup and repair may also contribute to exposure. These separate tasks may be done by different people or a single individual may combine them. Different formulations, handling methods, and application methods may affect levels of exposure. Good workplace hygiene dictates that the first priority in workplace safety is to put in place engineering and administrative controls to make the workplace safer rather than rely on the use of PPE to prevent exposure. Providing a physical barrier, such as closed systems for the mixer/loader and an enclosed cab or cockpit for applicators, is associated with reduced exposures of workers. The Worker Health and Safety Branch in the DPR of Cal/EPA has been monitoring various work task exposures. The results of these studies are summarized in Figures 1-4, where exposure is shown based on both time worked and amount of material handled. The studies were done using dosimeters, skin washes/wipes, and air pumps. Water-soluble packets, which are very popular with users, surpassed closed systems in reducing exposure to mixer/loaders in these studies. Hand spraying proved to present the greatest risk of exposure of the methods of application studied. It was found that the dermal route of exposure is most important, comprising 87-95% of a handler's exposure. Although this survey cannot be considered conclusive, since it leaves many formulations, systems, and methods incompletely studied or unstudied, it is clear that exposure is affected by different handling strategies. Manufacturers, regulators and users should work more closely to refine or develop new systems for safely handling pesticides.

California↗
PubMed1993

Pesticide exposures and multiple myeloma in Iowa men.

A population-based case-control study of 173 White men with multiple myeloma (MM) and 650 controls was conducted in Iowa (United States), an area with a large farming population, to evaluate the association between MM, agricultural risk factors, and exposure to individual pesticides. A slight nonsignificantly elevated risk for MM was seen among farmers (odds ratio [OR] = 1.2, 95 percent confidence interval [CI] = 0.8-1.7). Although slight excesses were observed, there were no significant associations between MM and handling either classes of pesticides or specific pesticides. Thus, this study found little evidence to suggest an association between risk of MM and farming or pesticides.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Pesticide and PCB residues in the upper Snake River ecosystem, Southeastern Idaho, following the collapse of the Teton dam 1976.

The Teton Dam in Southeastern Idaho collapsed on June 5, 1976. The resulting flood damaged a large area and caused the release of toxicants into the Snake River. A pesticide recovery team in a helicopter worked the flooded area for three weeks and collected 1,104 containers, about 35% of which contained toxicants. It was estimated that less than 60% of the lost pesticide containers were recovered. This paper addresses the results of a one-time sampling effort designed to determine the magnitude of the chemical contamination. Over 300 samples of fish, plankton, waterfowl, sediments, water, stream drift, aquatic plants, and soil were taken. Pesticide residues were measured as microgram/kg (ppb) wet weight, whole animal basis. Rainbow trout had as much as 1432 micrograms/kg total DDT plus analogs, 66 micrograms/kg dieldrin, and 1010 micrograms/kg PCBs. Utah suckers had up to 1420 micrograms/kg total DDT plus analogs, 32 micrograms/kg dieldrin, and 1800 micrograms/kg PCB. Rocky Mountain whitefish had as much as 2650 micrograms/kg total DDT and analogs, 30 micrograms/kg dieldrin and 1400 micrograms/kg PCBs. These PCB and DDT levels were high, approaching the 2,000 micrograms/kg FDA proposed tolerance, but were below the 5,000 micrograms/kg present tolerance. Dieldrin levels were low and organophosphates were undetectable. An undeveloped area (the Fort Hall Bottoms) showed higher levels of contaminants than did an industrialized area (the lower Portneuf River). This apparent discrepancy remains unexplained. Very little pre-flood data on a whole fish basis were available for comparison (Johnson et al 1977). However, it does not appear that any human health hazard due to pesticide levels exists in this portion of the Snake River.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Pesticide and polychlorinated biphenyl residues in waters at the mouth of the Grand, Saugeen, and Thames Rivers, Ontario, Canada, 1986-1990.

Water samples were collected from the mouths of the three major agricultural watersheds, the Grand, the Saugeen, and the Thames (Ontario, Canada), between January 1986 and December 1990. Analyses were performed for 18 herbicides, 26 insecticides, and 4 fungicides in use in the basins. A total of between 425 and 474 samples were analyzed for each of the major groups of pesticides. Six herbicides, two insecticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were identified in surface water. Atrazine and its metabolite desethylatrazine were the most frequently found pesticide present in 340 of 474 samples or 72%; the metabolite was not always present with the parent compound. The second most frequently found pesticide was metolachlor which was identified in 30 of 474 samples or 6.3%. 2,4-D and cyanazine were present in 3.3% and 1.5% of the samples, respectively; alachlor, mecoprop, and simazine were present in 0.5% of the samples. Dicamba and metribuzin were present in single samples (0.2%). DDT, heptachlor epoxide, and PCB were identified in only single samples over the 5-year period. Between 342 and 2959 kg/annum of total atrazine were found passing the mouth of the three rivers and entering Lakes Erie or St. Clair between 1986 and 1990. The greatest loss was from the Thames River and the least from the Saugeen River. Between 1% and 2% of that applied in the watershed was lost at the mouth. Loadings of only two other pesticides to the rivers exceeded 5 kg in any one year, namely, metolachlor and 2,4-D. In the case of metolachlor, loadings ranged from less than 5 to 1,726 kg/annum, the highest being in the Thames and the lowest in the Saugeen River. 2,4-D exceeded a loading of 5 kg/annum in 1988 in the Grand River. Atrazine, cyanazine, and metolachlor were tracked across Lake St. Clair from the mouth of the Thames to the mouth of the Detroit River in 1987.

Ontario↗
PubMed2002

[Pesticide exposure and Parkinson's syndrome - the epidemiological and experimental evidence].

Retrospective case-control studies among patients with idiopathic Parkinson's syndrome (IPS) show a positive association to the existence of a - mostly premorbid - exposure to pesticides. In acute pesticide intoxications, usually symptoms other than parkinsonism are found. Therefore, 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) continues to be the agent best documented both experimentally and clinically to cause a clinical syndrome comparable to IPS. It is debated whether still unknown effects between exogenous pesticide exposure and the xenobiotic enzyme system may lead to IPS in single genetically susceptible individuals. In practice, the present data on the problem of pesticide exposure in IPS are irrelevant for medicolegal considerations.

1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine↗
PubMed2004

Effects of pesticides on human peripheral lymphocytes in vitro: induction of DNA damage.

Because of the widespread use of pesticides for domestic and industrial applications the evaluation of their genotoxic effects is of major concern to public health. Although various experimental data have provided evidence that pesticides can possess genotoxic properties in animals and in in vitro test systems after acute and chronic exposure, the information on the genotoxic effects of some of pesticides is limited and inconsistent. In the present study, the genotoxic potential of commonly used pesticides (i.e., dimethoate and methyl parathion from the organophosphate class, propoxur and pirimicarb from carbamates, and cypermethrin and permethrin from pyrethroids) have been evaluated. The genotoxic effects of these substances were examined using the single cell gel electrophoresis (comet) assay in freshly isolated human peripheral lymphocytes. The cells were incubated with 10, 50, 100 and 200 microg/ml concentrations of the test substances for 0.5 h at 37 degrees C and DNA damage was compared with that obtained in lymphocytes from the same donor not treated with substances. Hydrogen peroxide, 100 microM, was used as a positive control. Within the concentration ranges studied, no significant cytotoxic effects were observed. Dimethoate and methyl parathion at 100 and 200 microg/ml; propoxur at 50, 100 and 200 microg/ml, and pirimicarb, cypermethrin and permethrin at 200 microg/ml significantly increased DNA damage in human lymphocytes.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Pesticide toxicity assessment using an electrochemical biosensor with Pseudomonas putida and a bioluminescence inhibition assay with Vibrio fischeri.

Two different toxicity tests, an electrochemical biosensor Cellsense and a bioluminescence inhibition assay ToxAlert were performed in order to establish and compare the acute toxicity responses of different types of raw and spiked water for a selected group of pesticides. The selected compounds were endosulfan, chlorfenvinphos, dimethoate, fenamiphos, ametryn, deltamethrin and alpha-cypermethrin; all of them are used in large quantities for agricultural purposes. In the first step, the study of the toxicity responses for each individual pesticide with Milli-Q water was carried out. Next, the toxic responses of different mixtures of these pesticides in different water matrices, i.e., Milli-Q water, surface water, groundwater and wastewater were studied in order to evaluate (i) device advantages and limitations for the toxicity evaluation of real environmental samples, (ii) antagonistic or synergistic effects and (iii) the influence of the water matrices. The survey of pesticides in real samples was carried out using a combined method involving both chemical analysis and toxicity bioassays. Chemical analysis involved the use of solid-phase micro-extraction (SPME) followed by gas chromatography with electron capture detection (GC/ECD) or thermoionic specific detection (GC/TSD) with mass spectrometric confirmation (GC/MS).

Biosensing Techniques↗
PubMed2003

Analysis of pesticide residues in essential oils of citrus fruit by GC-MS and HPLC-MS after solid-phase extraction.

A robust reliable method for the analysis of residues of pesticides in citrus groves was developed. Residues of twelve pesticides were extracted from citrus essential oils by SPE, separated by liquid chromatography and analyzed by GC-MS. In addition, ten pesticides were extracted by SPE, separated and analyzed by electrospray HPLC-MS. In the case of lemon essential oils, all twenty residues were separated by liquid/solid extraction on a mixed Florisil-C(18) cartridge. The method enabled the analysis of the twenty pesticide residues at levels of 2 to 30 ppm with limits of detection ranging between 0.02 to 0.50 mg L(-1).

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗
PubMed2003

Determination of residual pesticides in olive oil by GC-MS and HPLC-MS after extraction by size-exclusion chromatography.

This work describes the development of a method for analyzing pesticide residues in olive oil by GC-MS and HPLC-MS. Pesticides were separated from the oily matrix by size-exclusion chromatography. After extraction, 20 pesticides were separated and analyzed by GC-MS and 11 others HPLC-MS in electrospray mode. The development of this method enabled us to identify and quantify the pesticides of interest.

Chromatography, Gel↗
PubMed2003

A liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry method for quantification of specific organophosphorus pesticide biomarkers in human urine.

Organophosphorus pesticides are commonly used in both agricultural and residential settings. The widespread use of these chemicals makes it almost impossible for humans to avoid exposure. In order to determine background human exposure, there is a need for fast, reliable, and sensitive analytical methods. We have developed a sensitive method to quantify specific biomarkers of the organophosphorus pesticides acephate, azinphos, chlorpyrifos, coumaphos, diazinon, isazofos, malathion, methamidophos, parathion and pirimiphos or their O,O-dimethyl analogues in human urine, as their selective metabolites or as the intact pesticide. Isotopically labeled internal standards were used for eight of the analytes. The use of labeled internal standards in combination with high-performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry provided a high degree of specificity. Repeated analysis of urine samples fortified with high and low concentrations of the analytes gave relative standard deviations (RSD) of less than 10% for the analytes with an isotopically labeled standard. Analytes without isotopically labeled standards had higher RSD. For all compounds except methamidophos and acephate, the recoveries were greater than 70%. The limits of quantification for most of the analytes were in the range of 0.1 to 1 ng/mL. We detected concentrations of most of these pesticides and/or their metabolites in urine samples from non-occupationally exposed persons using our method. Our frequencies of detection for the analytes measured ranged from 1% to 98%.

Biomarkers↗
PubMed2005

Simultaneous determination of 64 pesticides in river water by stir bar sorptive extraction and thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

A method for determining 68 pesticides in river water using stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE)-thermal desorption (TD)-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is described. SBSE sampling was optimized for sample solution pH, salting-out and methanol addition. Although salting-out enhanced the ability of the method to extract most of the pesticides with low absolute recoveries, the absolute recoveries of four pesticides were not improved by salting-out. The detection limits of the method for the pesticides ranged from 0.2 to 20 ng/l. Analyte recoveries from a river water sample spiked with standards at 10 and 100 ng/l were 58.5-132.0% (RSD: 1.8-15.8%) and 61.0-121.3% (RSD: 1.4-20.2%), respectively.

Fresh Water↗
PubMed2003

Assessment of organochlorine pesticide residues in West African city farms: Banjul and Dakar case study.

Validated analytical procedures for the determination of 21 organochlorine pesticides have been applied to 74 water samples, 76 soil samples, and 160 vegetable samples from nine Sene-Gambian farms. Mean pesticide residue levels found were compared to the results of other studies. The main contaminants were DDTs in water (231.9 ng/L), in soil (71.4 ng/g), and in vegetables (5.03 ng/g). The distribution of pesticide residues in water and neighboring soils and the soil-plant transfer of these pesticides is briefly discussed. Different bioconcentration factors for sum HCHs, sum DDTs, and sum endosulfans obtained in this study allow us to confirm the complex processes already reported in the literature concerning the uptake and translocation of chemicals from soil to plant.

Agriculture↗
PubMed2003

Acetylcholinesterase activity in grass shrimp and aqueous pesticide levels from South Florida drainage canals.

Freshwater drainage canals in South Florida are utilized to manage water in agricultural, urban, and water conservation areas and, as a result, collect urban and agricultural storm runoff that is discharged into the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. Pesticides in this runoff may be toxic to the biota inhabiting these waters. This study evaluated the effects of contaminants in South Florida canals draining into Biscayne Bay on the estuarine grass shrimp (Palaemonetes intermedius), a representative invertebrate species. Results of surface water analysis for pesticides indicated that eight pesticides out of 52 analyzed were detected. The herbicide metolachlor was found at all nine sites in the five canals sampled at concentrations up to 119 ng/L. Atrazine was detected at seven sites at concentrations up to 29 ng/L. Three organophosphate insecticides (chlorpyrifos, malathion, diazinon) were detected at three sites in two canals (Military and North). Grass shrimp from these three sites showed significantly reduced levels of the acetylcholinesterase enzyme as compared to control shrimp. These two canals are similar in the land use areas drained--urban and suburban and agriculture. The results suggest that monitoring organisms for AChE levels can be a means of detecting exposure to organophosphorus pesticide contamination.

Acetylcholinesterase↗
PubMed2003

Assessment of the probabilistic ecological risk assessment-toxic equivalent combination approach for evaluating pesticide mixture toxicity to zooplankton in outdoor microcosms.

The probabilistic ecological risk assessment-toxic equivalent (PERA-TE) combination approach was recently introduced in response to the increased demand for risk assessment approaches that can accommodate mixtures. The effectiveness and validity of the PERA-TE approach was assessed using two types of pesticide mixtures tested in outdoor microcosms. The first type of mixture consisted of pesticides with similar modes of action (the organophosphorus insecticides chlorpyrifos and diazinon) and the second of pesticides with different modes of action (chlorpyrifos, endosulfan, and trifluralin). To assess the toxicity of, and potential interaction within, each type of mixture, theoretically equitoxic TE mixtures were prepared in different proportional ratios. The TE mixtures were based on the 10th centile of acute toxicity effects distributions (data obtained from the literature) and a factor of the sum of the 90th centile field concentrations extrapolated from exposure distributions based on North American surface water monitoring data. Changes in zooplankton population abundances were used as the effect measure. The binary organophosphorus mixtures were equitoxic and conformed to the concentration addition model. The observed response trends of zooplankton exposed to the mixture of chemicals with different modes of action were a result of the susceptibility of individual taxa to the dominating pesticide in each mixture. Overall, the PERA-TE approach was not effective in predicting the toxicity and interaction of all mixture types and should be limited to assessing mixtures of chemicals with similar modes of action.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Avian mortality events in the United States caused by anticholinesterase pesticides: a retrospective summary of National Wildlife Health Center records from 1980 to 2000.

We reviewed the U.S. Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) mortality database from 1980 to 2000 to identify cases of poisoning caused by organophosphorus and carbamate pesticides. From the 35,022 cases from which one or more avian carcasses were submitted to the NWHC for necropsy, we identified 335 mortality events attributed to anticholinesterase poisoning, 119 of which have been included in earlier reports. Poisoning events were classified as confirmed (n = 205) when supported by findings of > or =50% inhibition of cholinesterase (ChE) activity in brain tissue and the detection of a specific pesticide in the gastrointestinal contents of one or more carcasses. Suspected poisonings (n = 130) were defined as cases where brain ChE activity was > or =50% inhibited or a specific pesticide was identified in gastrointestinal contents. The 335 avian mortality events occurred in 42 states. Washington, Virginia, and Ohio had the highest frequency of events, with 24 (7.2%), 21 (6.3%), and 20 (6.0%) events, respectively. A total of 8877 carcasses of 103 avian species in 12 orders was recovered. Because carcass counts underestimate total mortality, this represents the minimum actual mortality. Of 24 different pesticides identified, the most frequent were famphur (n = 59: 18%), carbofuran (n = 52; 15%), diazinon (n = 40; 12%), and fenthion (n = 17; 5.1%). Falconiformes were reported killed most frequently (49% of all die-offs) but Anseriformes were found dead in the greatest numbers (64% of 8877 found dead). The majority of birds reported killed by famphur were Passeriformes and Falconiformes, with the latter found dead in 90% of famphur-related poisoning events. Carbofuran and famphur were involved in mortality of the greatest variety of species (45 and 33, respectively). Most of the mortality events caused by diazinon involved waterfowl.

Acetylcholinesterase↗