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International Journal of Environmental... Dec 2021On the African continent, ongoing agriculture intensification is accompanied by the increasing use of pesticides, associated with environmental and public health... (Review)
Review
On the African continent, ongoing agriculture intensification is accompanied by the increasing use of pesticides, associated with environmental and public health concerns. Using a systematic literature review, we aimed to map current geographical research hotspots and gaps around environmental and public health risks research of agriculture pesticides in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Studies were included that collected primary data on past and current-used agricultural pesticides and assessed their environmental occurrence, related knowledge, attitude and practice, human exposure, and environmental or public health risks between 2006 and 2021. We identified 391 articles covering 469 study sites in 37 countries in SSA. Five geographical research hotspots were identified: two in South Africa, two in East Africa, and one in West Africa. Despite its ban for agricultural use, organochlorine was the most studied pesticide group (60%; 86% of studies included DDT). Current-used pesticides in agriculture were studied in 54% of the study sites (including insecticides (92%), herbicides (44%), and fungicides (35%)). Environmental samples were collected in 67% of the studies (e.g., water, aquatic species, sediment, agricultural produce, and air). In 38% of the studies, human subjects were investigated. Only few studies had a longitudinal design or assessed pesticide's environmental risks; human biomarkers; dose-response in human subjects, including children and women; and interventions to reduce pesticide exposure. We established a research database that can help stakeholders to address research gaps, foster research collaboration between environmental and health dimensions, and work towards sustainable and safe agriculture systems in SSA.
Topics: Agriculture; Child; Environmental Exposure; Female; Humans; Insecticides; Longitudinal Studies; Pesticides; South Africa
PubMed: 35010520
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19010259 -
International Journal of Environmental... Sep 2020Pesticides pose a significant risk to humans and the environment. This paper analyzes the measures used to manage pesticides in Malawi. Malawi's regulatory authority of... (Review)
Review
Pesticides pose a significant risk to humans and the environment. This paper analyzes the measures used to manage pesticides in Malawi. Malawi's regulatory authority of pesticides, the Pesticides Control Board (PCB), faces a number of challenges including lack of facilities for analyzing pesticides and inadequate personnel to conduct risk assessment of pesticides. The PCB needs to provide access to information and opportunities among the public to make contributions regarding requirements, processes and policies for assessing pesticide risk and efficacy. There is also a need to enhance the capacity of PCB to assess pesticide poisoning in workers, monitor pesticide residues in food and environmental contamination, as well as to control the illegal importation and sale of pesticides. Just like in other countries such as South Africa, India and Sri Lanka, Malawi urgently needs to implement measures that can restrict the importation, production, sale and use of very toxic pesticides. Malawi also needs to develop measures for the effective management of pesticide waste containers as well as obsolete pesticides, where potential solutions include reducing the purchase of (unneeded) pesticides, treatment of obsolete pesticides in high-temperature cement kilns, as well as requesting pesticide dealers to adopt life-cycle management of their products.
Topics: Commerce; Environmental Exposure; Environmental Monitoring; Humans; Malawi; Pesticides
PubMed: 32942751
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17186727 -
Neurotoxicology Dec 2022Previous epidemiological studies have reported associations of pesticide exposure with poor cognitive function and behavioral problems. However, these findings have...
BACKGROUND
Previous epidemiological studies have reported associations of pesticide exposure with poor cognitive function and behavioral problems. However, these findings have relied primarily on neuropsychological assessments. Questions remain about the neurobiological effects of pesticide exposure, specifically where in the brain pesticides exert their effects and whether compensatory mechanisms in the brain may have masked pesticide-related associations in studies that relied purely on neuropsychological measures.
METHODS
We conducted a functional neuroimaging study in 48 farmworkers from Zarcero County, Costa Rica, in 2016. We measured concentrations of 13 insecticide, fungicide, or herbicide metabolites or parent compounds in urine samples collected during two study visits (approximately 3-5 weeks apart). We assessed cortical brain activation in the prefrontal cortex during tasks of working memory, attention, and cognitive flexibility using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). We estimated associations of pesticide exposure with cortical brain activation using multivariable linear regression models adjusted for age and education level.
RESULTS
We found that higher concentrations of insecticide metabolites were associated with reduced activation in the prefrontal cortex during a working memory task. For example, 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCPy; a metabolite of the organophosphate chlorpyrifos) was associated with reduced activation in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (β = -2.3; 95% CI: -3.9, -0.7 per two-fold increase in TCPy). Similarly, 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA; a metabolite of pyrethroid insecticides) was associated with bilateral reduced activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortices (β = -3.1; 95% CI: -5.0, -1.2 and -2.3; 95% CI: -4.5, -0.2 per two-fold increase in 3-PBA for left and right cortices, respectively). These associations were similar, though weaker, for the attention and cognitive flexibility tasks. We observed null associations of fungicide and herbicide biomarker concentrations with cortical brain activation during the three tasks that were administered.
CONCLUSION
Our findings suggest that organophosphate and pyrethroid insecticides may impact cortical brain activation in the prefrontal cortex - neural dynamics that could potentially underlie previously reported associations with cognitive and behavioral function. Furthermore, our study demonstrates the feasibility and utility of fNIRS in epidemiological field studies.
Topics: Humans; Pesticides; Insecticides; Farmers; Fungicides, Industrial; Costa Rica; Chlorpyrifos; Pyrethrins; Brain; Herbicides
PubMed: 36228750
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2022.10.004 -
Chemosphere Feb 2023Pesticide has revolutionised the agricultural industry by reducing yield losses and by enhancing productivity. But indiscriminate usage of such chemicals can negatively... (Review)
Review
Pesticide has revolutionised the agricultural industry by reducing yield losses and by enhancing productivity. But indiscriminate usage of such chemicals can negatively impact human health and ecosystem balance as certain pesticides can be recalcitrant in nature. Out of some of the suggested sustainable techniques to remove the pesticide load from the environment, adsorption is found to be highly efficient and can also be implemented on a large scale. It has been observed that natural adsorption that takes place after the application of the pesticide is not enough to reduce the pesticide load, hence, adsorbents like activated carbon, plant-based adsorbents, agricultural by-products, silica materials, polymeric adsorbents, metal organic framework etc are being experimented upon. It is becoming increasingly important to choose adsorbents which will not leave any secondary pollutant after treatment and the cost of production of such adsorbent should be feasible. In this review paper, it has been established that certain adsorbent like biochar, hydrochar, resin, metal organic framework etc can efficiently remove pesticides namely chlorpyrifos, diazinon, 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid, atrazine, fipronil, imidacloprid etc. The mechanism of adsorption, thermodynamics and kinetic part have been discussed in detail with respect to the pesticide and adsorbent under discussion. The reason behind choosing an adsorbent for the removal of a particular pesticide have also been explained. It is further highly recommended to carry out a cost analysis before implementing an absorbent because inspite of its efficacy, it might not be cost effective to use it for a particular type of pesticide or contaminant.
Topics: Humans; Pesticides; Ecosystem; Adsorption; Metal-Organic Frameworks; Herbicides; Water Pollutants, Chemical
PubMed: 36529165
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.137481 -
Environmental Geochemistry and Health Aug 2023Pesticides are widely employed in rice crops since the ecosystem and surroundings of paddy promote insects, weeds, and fungal and bacterial pathogens. Each commonly... (Review)
Review
Pesticides are widely employed in rice crops since the ecosystem and surroundings of paddy promote insects, weeds, and fungal and bacterial pathogens. Each commonly utilised pesticide possesses different uses. For instance, fungicides control fungal issues, herbicides curb weed growth, and insecticides destroy and repel insects. Although several ways to categorise them exist, pesticides are typically classified according to their chemical compositions. Rice production remains one of the most dominant crops grown in most Southeast Asian countries as it is a staple food. Nonetheless, the crop is highly dependent on pesticides, leading to growing concerns over the potential adverse effects of pesticides on the environment and human health. Despite the availability of numerous studies on the subject, a comprehensive understanding of the specific effects of pesticides on paddy fields in Southeast Asia is still lacking. Consequently, reviewing existing knowledge is necessary for synthesising and identifying research gaps to better inform policymakers, farmers, and other stakeholders in the agricultural sector. The objectives of the present review paper were to review the interactions between pesticides and the environment by understanding the physical and chemical properties of the chemicals, compare pesticide transportation modes in air, water, and soil and how they affect the environment, and evaluate and discuss the effects of pesticides on non-targeted organisms. This study assessed pesticide innovation reported between 1945 and 2021 for a better understanding of the utilisation of the chemicals over time. The pesticides assessed in this study were classified based on their chemical compounds, such as organochlorines, organophosphates, carbamates, and pyrethroid. This review could provide a comprehensive understanding of the interactions between pesticides and the environment and their impacts on non-targeted organisms.
Topics: Humans; Pesticides; Ecosystem; Herbicides; Insecticides; Asia, Southeastern; Crops, Agricultural
PubMed: 37380923
DOI: 10.1007/s10653-023-01668-8 -
Environmental Research Jan 2022The greenspace sector includes a broad range of occupations: gardeners, landscapers, municipal workers, maintenance operators of public facilities, golf-course employees... (Review)
Review
CONTEXT
The greenspace sector includes a broad range of occupations: gardeners, landscapers, municipal workers, maintenance operators of public facilities, golf-course employees and other sports facilities, horticulturists, plant and tree nursery workers etc. The health impact of occupational pesticide exposure has mainly been studied among farmers. Other professionals such as greenspace workers are also extremely exposed, presenting specific exposure features (practices, types of pesticide used). The aim of this review was to summarize epidemiological literature that examine the relationship between pesticide exposure and the risk of cancer and long-term health effects in greenspace workers.
METHOD
Six main groups of greenspace workers were identified and examined through a systematic literature review based on PubMed and Scopus. The studies were then grouped according to their design, health outcomes and the type of population studied.
RESULTS
Forty-four articles were selected among the 1679 identified. Fifteen studies were conducted exclusively among greenspace workers, while ten also studied these workers with other pesticide applicators. Six were cohorts from the general population in which greenspace workers were identified. Elevated risks were found in several studies for leukaemia, soft-tissue sarcoma, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and Parkinson's disease.
DISCUSSION
The majority of studies used rough parameters for defining exposure such as job titles which could lead to the misclassification of exposure, with the risk of false or positive negative conclusions. Health outcomes were mainly collected through registries or death certificates, and information regarding potential confounders was often missing.
CONCLUSION
The review identified only 15 studies conducted exclusively among greenspace workers. Elevated risk was found for several sites of cancer and Parkinson's diseases. Further epidemiological research is needed, conducted specifically on these workers, to better characterize this population, its exposure to pesticides and the related health effects.
Topics: Agricultural Workers' Diseases; Epidemiologic Studies; Humans; Neoplasms; Nervous System Diseases; Occupational Exposure; Parks, Recreational; Pesticides
PubMed: 34352232
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.111822 -
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces Aug 2021The deposition and retention of pesticide sprays on the surface of hydrophobic plant leaves is a major agricultural challenge, and the deposition of hydrophobic surfaces...
The deposition and retention of pesticide sprays on the surface of hydrophobic plant leaves is a major agricultural challenge, and the deposition of hydrophobic surfaces caused by plant leaf diseases is also a major agricultural problem. Many recent studies have focused on evaluating the effect of adding surfactants to water rather than to pesticide solutions to increase the deposition and retention of spray liquids. Here, we report a strategy to solve the problem of deposition and retention by studying the impact of the behavior of pesticide droplets with added surfactants and performing kinetic analysis on cucumber leaves with powdery mildew. The reduction in the bounce and splash of the pesticide droplets was analyzed by combining the pinning site formed in the retraction stage and the viscous dissipation in the rebound stage. In the practical application of the pesticide spray, we can clearly see that the bounce, splash, and powdery mildew spore ejection decreased when surfactants were added to the pesticide spray that was used on the cucumber leaves, and the adhesion and retention increased. The proposed comprehensive method is helpful for understanding the interactions between pesticide spray droplets and the surface of cucumber leaves with powdery mildew.
Topics: Cucumis sativus; Pesticides; Plant Diseases; Plant Leaves; Wettability
PubMed: 34374291
DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c07109 -
The Science of the Total Environment Feb 2024Exposure to pesticides during pregnancy has been associated with several serious congenital malformations, such as neural tube defects, therefore, is a cause for concern... (Review)
Review
Exposure to pesticides during pregnancy has been associated with several serious congenital malformations, such as neural tube defects, therefore, is a cause for concern in terms of human health. This review aims to gather information related to maternal exposure during pregnancy and the risk of triggering neural tube defects in the offspring. The search strategy for the studies followed the PRISMA guidelines. We conducted a systematic search in the Science Direct, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science databases for all epidemiological studies that sought to associate exposure to pesticides during embryonic development with the risk of neural tube defects (NTDs). The keywords used were "pesticide", "herbicide", "congenital" and "neural". Of the 229 articles, 8 eligible ones (7 case-control and 1 cross-sectional) evaluated pesticide exposure in pregnancy. Different methods were used, including analysis of biological samples and questionnaires. The pesticides studied included insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, and nematicides. Insecticides were the most studied, with variations in concentrations between tissues and studies. Distinct levels of pesticides have been detected in maternal serum, placenta, and umbilical cord. Models were statistically adjusted for confounding factors, such as smoking and dietary supplement intakes. Concentrations were measured in different exposure windows (periconception and prenatal), related to NTDs such as anencephaly and spina bifida. Different data collection techniques, types of biological samples, and exposure windows were used, which made comparison difficult. The main pesticides studied included DDT, DDE, HCH, and endosulfan. Maternal serum showed the highest concentrations of pesticides, but detection in placental tissue and umbilical cord confirms embryonic exposure. Confounding variables were adjusted for in the analysis of the articles, but they may still contribute to the risk of NTDs. All the studies analyzed pesticide exposure and the relationship with NTDs. However, a more standardized survey would be ideal for better comparisons.
Topics: Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Pesticides; Insecticides; Cross-Sectional Studies; Placenta; Neural Tube Defects; Herbicides; Risk Factors
PubMed: 38104833
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169317 -
International Journal of Environmental... Apr 2021Excessive use of pesticides and fertilisers has been a key issue limiting sustainable agricultural development. China is a typical pesticide- and...
Excessive use of pesticides and fertilisers has been a key issue limiting sustainable agricultural development. China is a typical pesticide- and chemical-fertiliser-dependent agricultural production area. We have matched the target indicators related to sustainable agricultural development (SDG1 and SDG2) and analysed the gap between China and four developed countries in terms of fertiliser and pesticide use intensity and efficiency from 2002 to 2016. We have used an improved Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index model and cluster analysis to identify the factors and effects driving increased pesticide and fertiliser inputs in China, and we discuss the exploratory effects of different provinces in reducing pesticide and fertiliser application and increasing efficiency. The findings reveal that (1) China is a typical pesticide- and fertiliser-dependent agricultural production area. The average combined fertiliser application efficiency in China from 2002 to 2016 was only 28% of that of the Netherlands, and the country's average combined pesticide application efficiency was only 35% of that of the USA. (2) The most important of the three main drivers of the increase in pesticide and fertiliser inputs in China is the value added of the primary industry, contributing 56% for the period 2007-2016. (3) Further analysis at the provincial level according to four types-high-intensity high-yield type, high-intensity low-yield type, low-intensity high-yield type, and low-intensity low-yield type-clarified the provinces that should be focused on at the national level in terms of pesticide and fertiliser application reduction and efficiency increase in the future.
Topics: Agriculture; China; Fertilizers; Netherlands; Pesticides
PubMed: 33916603
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18073771 -
Chemical Research in Toxicology May 2021Pesticides are widely used in the agricultural Central Valley region of California. Historically, this has included organophosphates (OPs), organochlorines (OCs), and...
Pesticides are widely used in the agricultural Central Valley region of California. Historically, this has included organophosphates (OPs), organochlorines (OCs), and pyrethroids (PYRs). This study aimed to identify perturbations of the serum metabolome in response to each class of pesticide and mutual associations between groups of metabolites and multiple pesticides. We conducted high-resolution metabolomic profiling of serum samples from 176 older adults living in the California Central Valley using liquid chromatography with high-resolution mass spectrometry. We estimated chronic pesticide exposure (from 1974 to year of blood draw) to OPs, OCs, and PYRs from ambient sources at homes and workplaces with a geographic information system (GIS)-based model. Based on partial least-squares regression and pathway enrichment analysis, we identified metabolites and metabolic pathways associated with one or multiple pesticide classes, including mitochondrial energy metabolism, fatty acid and lipid metabolism, and amino acid metabolism. Utilizing an integrative network approach, we found that the fatty acid β-oxidation pathway is a common pathway shared across all three pesticide classes. The disruptions of the serum metabolome suggested that chronic pesticide exposure might result in oxidative stress, inflammatory reactions, and mitochondrial dysfunction, all of which have been previously implicated in a wide variety of diseases. Overall, our findings provided a comprehensive view of the molecular mechanisms of chronic pesticide toxicity, and, for the first time, our approach informs exposome research by moving from macrolevel population exposures to microlevel biologic responses.
Topics: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biological Monitoring; California; Environmental Exposure; Female; Humans; Male; Metabolomics; Middle Aged; Pesticides
PubMed: 33913694
DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.0c00523