Parkinsonism Signs and Symptoms in Agricultural Pesticide Handlers in Washington State

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bordianu T ; Checkowy H ; Hu S-C ; Negrete M ; Palmández P ; Racette BA ; Searles Nielsen S ; Simpson CD
• Description:
  Objectives: Examine associations between pesticide exposure and signs or symptoms of parkinsonism. Methods: Prior to the 2014 pesticide spray season we examined 38 active pesticide handlers age 35-65 (median 43.5) who participated in the State of Washington's cholinesterase monitoring program in the Yakima Valley, where cholinesterase-inhibiting insecticides are applied in fruit orchards. A movement disorders specialist assessed the workers using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) motor subscore 3 (UPDRS3). Participants also self-reported work and medical histories, including the UPDRS activities of daily living subscore 2 (UPDRS2). We explored the relation between these scores and lifetime occupational pesticide exposure while accounting for age. Results: All participants were Hispanic men born in Mexico who had worked in agriculture for 4-43 years (median 21 years, including 11 years applying pesticides, mostly in the United States). Ten participants (26%) reported difficulty with one or more UPDRS2 activities of daily living (maximum=2) and nine (24%) had a UPDRS3>0 (maximum=10). The most common symptom and sign, respectively, were excess saliva (n=6) and action tremor (n=5). UPDRS2 and UPDRS3 scores were unrelated to the number of years applying pesticides, but UPDRS3, especially action tremor, was positively associated with living on or by a farm. Conclusions: Symptoms and signs of Parkinsonism were absent to mild in this small sample of active workers who apply cholinesterase-inhibiting insecticides in Washington State, USA. Future studies should be larger, and examine older, retired workers with greater cumulative exposure to agricultural pesticides at work and home, including other types of agricultural pesticides. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Insecticides Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Cholinesterase Inhibitors Cholinesterase Inhibitors Occupational Health Parkinson's Disease Parkinsonian Disorders Parkinsonism Parkinsons Disease Pesticides Pesticides And Agricultural Chemicals
• ISSN:
  1059-924X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement ; Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; Missouri ; OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 7 ; OSHA Region 9 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  215-221
• Volume:
  22
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20049631
• Citation:
  J Agromedicine 2017 Jul; 22(3):215-221
• Contact Point Address:
  Christopher D. Simpson, University of Washington, Departmet of Environmental and Occupational health Sciences, Box 357234, Seattle, WA 98195
• Email:
  simpson1@u.washington.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2017
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  University of Washington
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20010930
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Agromedicine
• End Date:
  20270929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:cae2cf9ccbad42a67d515c2bedaa6c8782905d0f1a1fdc965478efd9d113e709a59f1d0fc79ade34205bbcae8629e0b3be1442766d27ff568bb593f28e9bc9fa
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/210324/cdc_210324_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 914.25 KB ]