Pesticide Exposure and Adverse Health Effects Associated with Farmwork in Northern Thailand

Details

• Personal Author:
  Colacino J ; Forté CA ; Guytingco A ; Jindaphong S ; Kaviya T ; Nambunmee K ; Neitzel R ; Peraino NJ ; Polemi K ; Westrick J
• Description:
  Objectives: To assess pesticide exposure and understand the resultant health effects of agricultural workers in Northern Thailand. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. We quantified exposure to pesticides, including chlorpyrifos, methomyl, and metalaxyl, by air sampling and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. We estimated differences in self-reported health outcomes, complete blood counts, cholinesterase activity, and serum/urine calcium and creatinine concentrations at baseline between farmworkers and comparison workers, and after pesticide spraying in farmworkers only. Results: This study included 97 men between the ages of 22 and 76 years; 70 were conventional farmworkers; and 27 did not report any prior farmwork or pesticide spraying. None of the farmworkers wore standardized personal protective equipment (PPE) for the concentrated chemicals they were working with. Methomyl (8.4-13 481.9 ng/m3 ), ethyl chlorpyrifos (11.6-67 759 ng/m3 ), and metalaxyl (13.9-41 191.3 ng/m3 ) were detected via personal air sampling. When it came to reporting confidence in the ability to handle personal problems, only 43% of farmworkers reported feeling confident, which reflects higher stress levels in comparison to 78% of comparison workers (P = .028). Farmworkers also had significantly lower monocyte counts (P = .01), serum calcium (P = .01), red blood count (P = .01), white blood cell count (P = .04), and butyrylcholinesterase activity (P < .0001), relative to comparison workers. After adjusting for body mass index (BMI), age, and smoking, methomyl air concentrations were associated with a decrease in farmworker acetylcholinesterase activity (beta = -0.327, P = .016). Conclusions: This population of farmworkers had significant alterations in stress measures and clinical biomarkers, including decreased blood cell counts and cholinesterase activity, relative to matched controls. These changes are potentially linked to occupational pesticide exposures. Improving PPE use presents a likely route for preventive intervention in this population. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aging Agriculture Blood Chemistry Environmental Exposure Environmental Monitoring Farmers Hematologic Tests Insecticides Men Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Smokers Urine Women

  More +
• Keywords:
  Age Groups Agricultural Workers Air Sampling Author Keywords: Epidemiology Blood Cells Blood Samples BMI Body Mass Index Calcium Chemical Properties Chemicals Chlorpyrifos Exposure Levels Health Effects Humans Industrial Medicine Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry Methomyl Occupational Medicine Personal Protective Equipment Pesticides Pesticides And Agricultural Chemicals PPE Public Health Risk Factors Sampling Smoking Statistical Analysis Toxicology

  More +
• ISSN:
  1341-9145
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Michigan ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  63
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20062670
• Citation:
  J Occup Health 2021 Jan; 63(1):e12222
• Contact Point Address:
  Kowit Nambunmee, School of Health Science, Mae Fah Luang University, 333 Moo 1, Tasud, Muang, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand
• Email:
  kowit.nam@mfu.ac.th
• CAS Registry Number:
  Chlorpyrifos (CAS RN 2921-88-2) ; Metalaxyl (CAS RN 57837-19-1) ; Methomyl (CAS RN 16752-77-5)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2021
• Performing Organization:
  University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Occupational Health
• End Date:
  20280630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:4b86990a0664bac6a0e0c27f49396f5629408b42407321c42deaa9c9666c4acf7b70d3fbc3c60d583899863a5914a790377ef28adc42fecb71ab6419822405ba
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/225868/cdc_225868_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 300.25 KB ]