Biomarker Correlations of Urinary 2,4-D Levels in Foresters: Genomic Instability and Endocrine Disruption

Details

• Personal Author:
  Abdallah JM ; Barr DB ; Burroughs BL ; Garry VF ; Kesner JS ; Kirsch IR ; Lombardi DP ; Long LK ; Tarone RE
• Description:
  Forest pesticide applicators constitute a unique pesticide use group. Aerial, mechanical-ground, and focal weed control by application of herbicides, in particular chlorophenoxy herbicides, yield diverse exposure scenarios. In the present work, we analyzed aberrations in G-banded chromosomes, reproductive hormone levels, and polymerase chain reaction-based V(D)J rearrangement frequencies in applicators whose exposures were mostly limited to chlorophenoxy herbicides. Data from appliers where chlorophenoxy use was less frequent were also examined. The biomarker outcome data were compared to urinary levels of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) obtained at the time of maximum 2,4-D use. Further comparisons of outcome data were made to the total volume of herbicides applied during the entire pesticide-use season.Twenty-four applicators and 15 minimally exposed foresters (control) subjects were studied. Categorized by applicator method, men who used a hand-held, backpack sprayer in their applications showed the highest average level (453.6 ppb) of 2,4-D in urine. Serum luteinizing hormone (LH) values were correlated with urinary 2,4-D levels, but follicle-stimulating hormone and free and total testosterone were not. At the height of the application season; 6/7 backpack sprayers, 3/4 applicators who used multinozzle mechanical (boom) sprayers, 4/8 aerial applicators, and 2/5 skidder-radiarc (closed cab) appliers had two or more V(D)J region rearrangements per microgram of DNA. Only 5 of 15 minimally exposed (control) foresters had two or more rearrangements, and 3 of these 5 subjects demonstrated detectable levels of 2,4-D in the urine. Only 8/24 DNA samples obtained from the exposed group 10 months or more after their last chlorophenoxy use had two rearrangements per microgram of DNA, suggesting that the exposure-related effects observed were reversible and temporary. Although urinary 2,4-D levels were not correlated with chromosome aberration frequency, chromosome aberration frequencies were correlated with the total volume of herbicides applied, including products other than 2,4-D. In summary, herbicide applicators with high urinary levels of 2,4-D (backpack and boom spray applications) exhibited elevated LH levels. They also exhibited altered genomic stability as measured by V(D)J rearrangement frequency, which appears reversible months after peak exposure. Though highly detailed, the limited sample size warrants cautious interpretation of the data. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Biomarkers Carcinogens Endocrine System Endocrine System Diseases Forestry Herbicides Insecticides Neoplasms Occupational Health Safety Urine Urogenital System

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• Keywords:
  Cancer Endocrine-system Endocrine-system-disorders Forestry-workers Hormone-activity Pesticides Pesticides-and-agricultural-chemicals Reproductive-effects Reproductive-system Urinalysis
• ISSN:
  0091-6765
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Georgia ; Maryland ; Minnesota ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DART - Division of Applied Research and Technology
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  495-500
• Volume:
  109
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20032154
• Citation:
  Environ Health Perspect 2001 May; 109(5):495-500
• Contact Point Address:
  V.F. Garry, Environmental Medicine and Pathology Laboratory, University of Minnesota, 421 29th Avenue SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414-3290 USA
• Email:
  garry001@maroon.tc.umn.edu
• CAS Registry Number:
  (2,4-Dichlorophenoxy)acetic acid (CAS RN 94-75-7)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2001
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Environmental Health Perspectives
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:870ba1db00cc8f33a8cddacfea2b4dea25350f8291dad1e95e6f50dbdd775058a3cbafc87e6dcefe7e22f298033d7ae0087d07ab65ea9bb28846ce41cc3aa2ba
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/186199/cdc_186199_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 50.94 KB ]