Association between blood cholinesterase activity, organophosphate pesticide residues on hands, and health effects among chili farmers in Ubon Ratchathani Province, northeastern Thailand
Journal Title: Roczniki Państwowego Zakładu Higieny - Year 2017, Vol 68, Issue 2
Abstract
Background. Use of pesticides has been documented to lead to several adverse health effects. Farmers are likely to be exposed to pesticides through dermal exposure as a result of mixing, loading, and spraying. Organophosphate pesticides (OPs) are widely used in most of the agricultural areas throughout Thailand. OPs are cholinesterase inhibitors and blood cholinesterase activity is used as a biomarker of OP effects. Objective. This study aims to determine the association between blood cholinesterase activity and organophosphate pesticide residues on chili farmer’s hands and their adverse health effects. Materials and Methods. Ninety chili farmers directly involved with pesticide applications (e.g. mixing, loading, spraying) were recruited and were interviewed face to face. Both enzymes, erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and plasma cholinesterase (PChE), were tested with the EQM Test-mate Cholinesterase Test System (Model 400). Hand wipe samples were used for collecting residues on both hands and OP residues for chlorpyrifos and profenofos were quantified using gas chromatography equipped with a flame photometric detector (GC-FPD). Results. The average activity (±SD) of AChE and PChE was 2.73 (±0.88) and 1.58 (±0.56) U/mL, respectively. About 80.0% of the participants had detectable OP residues on hands. The median residues of chlorpyrifos and profenofos were found to be 0.02 and 0.03 mg/kg/two hands, respectively. Half of participants reported having some acute health symptoms within 48 hours after applying pesticides. When adjusted for gender, number of years working in chili farming, and frequency of pesticide use, AChE activity (Adjusted OR = 0.03, 95%CI: 0.01-0.13) and detected OP residues on hands (Adjusted OR = 0.15, 95%CI: 0.02-0.95) were significantly associated with having health effects, but no significant association was found in PChE activity (Adjusted OR = 2.09, 95%CI: 0.63-6.99). Conclusions. This study suggests that regular monitoring for blood cholinesterase and effective interventions to reduce pesticide exposure to prevent health effects should be provided to chili farmers.
Authors and Affiliations
T. Nganchamung, M. G. Robson, W. Siriwong
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP319008
- DOI -
- Views 80
- Downloads 0
Differences in eating patterns of middle school students living in urban and rural areas located in the Masovian Voivodeship
BACKGROUND: Proper eating behaviours among youth condition their bodies’ optimal growth and development and impact future diet choices, which affects maintenance of health in later years. Studies concerning assessment of...
Assessing patients’ attitudes towards dietary supplements
Background. There is currently many over the counter products on the market that exert nutritional or physiological effects on the human body. The differences between dietary supplements and non-prescription drugs are ho...
Profiles of selected nutrients affecting skin condition in children with atopic dermatitis
Background. Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammation of the skin recognised to be one of the first clinical signs of allergy. In the first years of life, epidemiological evidence has demonstrated that common caus...
Diabetic nephropathy in the elderly – clinical practice
Common health problems of the elderly in the near future will become even more common with aging of the population and longer average life expectancy. The elderly tend to have multiple disorders at one time, some of whic...
Comparison of vegetables and fruit consumption frequency by athletes before and after marathon
Background. One of the prerequisites to achieve high sports scores is to ensure the proper supply of nutrients. Both deficiency and excess of these components can cause malfunctions of bodies in athletes, which adversely...