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PloS One 2020The assessment of residential exposure to agricultural pesticides is a major issue for public health, regulatory and management purposes. In recent years, research into... (Review)
Review
The assessment of residential exposure to agricultural pesticides is a major issue for public health, regulatory and management purposes. In recent years, research into this field has developed considerably. The purpose of this scoping review is to provide an overview of scientific literature characterizing residential exposure to agricultural pesticides and to identify potential gaps in this research area. This work was conducted according to the JBI and PRISMA guidelines. Three databases were consulted. At least two experts selected the eligible studies. Our scoping review enabled us to identify 151 articles published between 1988 and 2019 dealing with the assessment of residential exposure to agricultural pesticides. Of these, 98 (64.9%) were epidemiological studies investigating possible links between pesticide exposure and the onset of adverse health effects, principally cancers and reproductive outcomes. They predominantly used Geographic Information Systems and sometimes surveys or interviews to calculate surrogate exposure metrics, the most common being the amounts of pesticides applied or the surface area of crops around the dwelling. Twenty-six (17.2%) were observational measurement studies conducted to quantify levels of pesticide exposure and identify their possible determinants. These studies assessed exposure by measuring pesticides in biological and environmental matrices, mostly in urines and house dust. Finally, we found only eight publications (5.3%) that quantified the risk to human health due to residential exposure for management purposes, in which exposure was mainly determined using probabilistic models. Pesticide exposure appears to be largely correlated with the spatial organization of agriculture activities in a territory. The determinants and routes of exposure remain to be explored to improve the conduct of epidemiological and risk assessment studies and to help prevent future exposures. Improvement could be expected from small-scale studies combining different methods of exposure assessment.
Topics: Agriculture; Dust; Environmental Exposure; Environmental Monitoring; Geographic Information Systems; Housing; Humans; Pesticides; Public Health; Risk Assessment
PubMed: 32343750
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0232258 -
Scientific Reports Jun 2022This study was conducted to investigate the pesticide residue concentrations and assess potential human health risks from fruit and vegetable consumption in Incheon. A...
This study was conducted to investigate the pesticide residue concentrations and assess potential human health risks from fruit and vegetable consumption in Incheon. A total of 1,146 samples of 20 different types of fruits and vegetables were collected from the Incheon area in 2020. The pesticide residues were analyzed by the multi-residue method of the Korean Food Code for 400 different pesticides. Among the fruit and vegetable samples, 1,055 samples (92.1%) were free from detectable residues, while 91 samples (7.9%) contained residues and 11 samples (1.0%) had residues exceeding the Korean maximum residue limit. A total of 32 different pesticide residues were found and 8 residues exceeded MRLs. The most frequently detected pesticide residues were chlorfenapyr, procymidone, etofenprox, pendimethalin, fluopyram and azoxystrobin. The highest values of short term and long term exposure were obtained in the case of consumption of lettuce(leaves) with chlorfenpyr. For chronic dietary exposure, the cumulative hazard index (cHI) were below 100%. The results of this study showed that the detected pesticides were not exposed to potential health risks through the consumption of fruits and vegetables.
Topics: Food Contamination; Fruit; Humans; Pesticide Residues; Pesticides; Republic of Korea; Risk Assessment; Vegetables
PubMed: 35688857
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-13576-5 -
Frontiers in Public Health 2023Pesticides are any mix of ingredients and substances used to eliminate or control unwanted vegetable or animal species recognized as plagues. Its use has been discussed... (Review)
Review
Pesticides are any mix of ingredients and substances used to eliminate or control unwanted vegetable or animal species recognized as plagues. Its use has been discussed in research due to the scarcity of strong scientific evidence about its health effects. International literature is still insufficient to establish a global recommendation through public policy. This study aims to explore international evidence of the presence of pesticides in urine samples from children and their effects on health through a scoping review based on the methodology described by Arksey and O'Malley. The number of articles resulting from the keyword combination was 454, and a total of 93 manuscripts were included in the results and 22 were complementary. Keywords included in the search were: urinary, pesticide, children, and childhood. Children are exposed to pesticide residues through a fruit and vegetable intake environment and household insecticide use. Behavioral effects of neural damage, diabetes, obesity, and pulmonary function are health outcomes for children that are commonly studied. Gas and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry methods are used predominantly for metabolite-pesticide detection in urine samples. Dialkylphosphates (DAP) are common in organophosphate (OP) metabolite studies. First-morning spot samples are recommended to most accurately characterize OP dose in children. International evidence in PubMed supports that organic diets in children are successful interventions that decrease the urinary levels of pesticides. Several urinary pesticide studies were found throughout the world's population. However, there is a knowledge gap that is important to address (public policy), due to farming activities that are predominant in these territories.
Topics: Animals; Pesticides; Insecticides; Agriculture; Chromatography, Liquid; Fruit
PubMed: 37711246
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1227337 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Dec 2019The decline in populations of insect pollinators is a global concern. While multiple factors are implicated, there is uncertainty surrounding the contribution of certain... (Review)
Review
The decline in populations of insect pollinators is a global concern. While multiple factors are implicated, there is uncertainty surrounding the contribution of certain groups of pesticides to losses in wild and managed bees. Nanotechnology-based pesticides (NBPs) are formulations based on multiple particle sizes and types. By packaging active ingredients in engineered particles, NBPs offer many benefits and novel functions, but may also exhibit different properties in the environment when compared with older pesticide formulations. These new properties raise questions about the environmental disposition and fate of NBPs and their exposure to pollinators. Pollinators such as honey bees have evolved structural adaptations to collect pollen, but also inadvertently gather other types of environmental particles which may accumulate in hive materials. Knowledge of the interaction between pollinators, NBPs, and other types of particles is needed to better understand their exposure to pesticides, and essential for characterizing risk from diverse environmental contaminants. The present review discusses the properties, benefits and types of nanotechnology-based pesticides, the propensity of bees to collect such particles and potential impacts on bee pollinators.
Topics: Animals; Bees; Humans; Nanotechnology; Pesticides; Pollen; Pollination
PubMed: 31817417
DOI: 10.3390/molecules24244458 -
Environmental Health Perspectives Sep 2022Multiple epidemiological studies have shown that exposure to pesticides is associated with adverse health outcomes. However, the literature on pesticide-related health... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Multiple epidemiological studies have shown that exposure to pesticides is associated with adverse health outcomes. However, the literature on pesticide-related health effects in the Latin American and the Caribbean (LAC) region, an area of intensive agricultural and residential pesticide use, is sparse. We conducted a scoping review to describe the current state of research on the health effects of pesticide exposure in LAC populations with the goal of identifying knowledge gaps and research capacity building needs.
METHODS
We searched PubMed and SciELO for epidemiological studies on pesticide exposure and human health in LAC populations published between January 2007 and December 2021. We identified 233 publications from 16 countries that met our inclusion criteria and grouped them by health outcome (genotoxicity, neurobehavioral outcomes, placental outcomes and teratogenicity, cancer, thyroid function, reproductive outcomes, birth outcomes and child growth, and others).
RESULTS
Most published studies were conducted in Brazil (37%, ) and Mexico (20%, ), were cross-sectional in design (72%, ), and focused on farmworkers (45%, ) or children (21%, ). The most frequently studied health effects included genotoxicity (24%, ) and neurobehavioral outcomes (21%, ), and organophosphate (OP) pesticides were the most frequently examined (26%, ). Forty-seven percent () of the studies relied only on indirect pesticide exposure assessment methods. Exposure to OP pesticides, carbamates, or to multiple pesticide classes was consistently associated with markers of genotoxicity and adverse neurobehavioral outcomes, particularly among children and farmworkers.
DISCUSSION
Our scoping review provides some evidence that exposure to pesticides may adversely impact the health of LAC populations, but methodological limitations and inconsistencies undermine the strength of the conclusions. It is critical to increase capacity building, integrate research initiatives, and conduct more rigorous epidemiological studies in the region to address these limitations, better inform public health surveillance systems, and maximize the impact of research on public policies. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP9934.
Topics: Agriculture; Carbamates; Caribbean Region; Child; Environmental Exposure; Female; Humans; Latin America; Occupational Exposure; Organophosphates; Pesticides; Placenta; Pregnancy
PubMed: 36173136
DOI: 10.1289/EHP9934 -
Journal of Exposure Science &... Sep 2023The USDA's Pesticide Data Program (PDP) celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2021 and is one of the world's largest monitoring programs for pesticide residues. The PDP... (Review)
Review
The USDA's Pesticide Data Program (PDP) celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2021 and is one of the world's largest monitoring programs for pesticide residues. The PDP database contains over 42 million data points for a pesticide paired to a commodity that have resulted from the analysis of nearly 310,000 food samples of 126 different commodities. Over the decades of the program, sampling methods and infrastructure, major milestones, developments, and accomplishments have unfolded. Comparisons of data for four commodities that were in the program early on illustrate that over time pesticide residues on foods change, particularly when new pesticides are registered, and updated data, such as those provided by PDP, are key for exposure and risk assessment.
Topics: Humans; Pesticides; Pesticide Residues; Vegetables; Fruit; Food Contamination
PubMed: 36310320
DOI: 10.1038/s41370-022-00482-1 -
International Journal of Environmental... May 2021In recent years, new targets have been included between the health outcomes induced by pesticide exposure. The gastrointestinal tract is a key physical and biological... (Review)
Review
In recent years, new targets have been included between the health outcomes induced by pesticide exposure. The gastrointestinal tract is a key physical and biological barrier and it represents a primary site of exposure to toxic agents. Recently, the intestinal microbiota has emerged as a notable factor regulating pesticides' toxicity. However, the specific mechanisms related to this interaction are not well known. In this review, we discuss the influence of pesticide exposure on the gut microbiota, discussing the factors influencing gut microbial diversity, and we summarize the updated literature. In conclusion, more studies are needed to clarify the host-microbial relationship concerning pesticide exposure and to define new prevention interventions, such as the identification of biomarkers of mucosal barrier function.
Topics: Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Gastrointestinal Tract; Microbiota; Pesticides
PubMed: 34063879
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18115510 -
International Journal of Environmental... Jun 2022Pesticide use in Ethiopia has become a common practice in which large-scale flower farms are the main consumers. Workers on flower farms might be exposed to pesticides...
BACKGROUND
Pesticide use in Ethiopia has become a common practice in which large-scale flower farms are the main consumers. Workers on flower farms might be exposed to pesticides while spraying or while performing other tasks related to pesticide use and management. It is unclear whether working as a flower farm sprayer is associated with respiratory health problems.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to compare respiratory symptoms and lung function indices between pesticide sprayers and non-spraying workers.
METHOD
A cross-sectional study was conducted on 15 flower farms, involving all-male sprayers as the pesticide-exposed group and all other male workers as a control group. Data were collected using a standard questionnaire for respiratory symptoms developed by the British Medical Research Council and the American Thoracic Society. Lung function tests were performed to determine forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume at one second (FEV), mid 50 expiratory flow, and the ratio of FEV to FVC. Chi-squared tests and Poisson regression analyses were used to compare respiratory symptoms between the two working groups. General linear regression models were used to compare lung function test indices between spraying and non-spraying working groups. The significance level was set to 0.05.
RESULTS
A total of 285 male workers participated (152 sprayers and 133 non-spraying workers). The mean age of the workers was 25 years for sprayers and 24 years for non-sprayers. The proportions of cough, cough with sputum, breathlessness, and wheezing were similar in the two groups, while chest tightness was significantly high in the non-spraying group. Sprayers had significantly higher FVC and FEV1 than the non-spraying group.
CONCLUSIONS
Respiratory symptoms were not different between the sprayers and non-spraying workers except that the non-spraying workers had increased chest tightness. FVC and FEV1 were significantly higher among sprayers relative to non-sprayers. The results must be interpreted with caution, as the sprayers used respiratory protective equipment, which probably reduced their exposure to the pesticides. Also, the workers were young, and a healthy worker effect might be present among the sprayers.
Topics: Adult; Cough; Cross-Sectional Studies; Ethiopia; Farms; Flowers; Humans; Male; Occupational Exposure; Pesticides
PubMed: 35742676
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19127427 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2021Pesticide residues are a threat to the health of the global population, not only to farmers, applicators, and other pesticide professionals. Humans are exposed through... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Pesticide residues are a threat to the health of the global population, not only to farmers, applicators, and other pesticide professionals. Humans are exposed through various routes such as food, skin, and inhalation. This study summarizes the different methods to assess and/or estimate human exposure to pesticide residues of the global population.
METHODS
A systematic search was carried out on Scopus and web of science databases of studies on human exposure to pesticide residues since 2019.
RESULTS
The methods to estimate human health risk can be categorized as direct (determining the exposure through specific biomarkers in human matrices) or indirect (determining the levels in the environment and food and estimating the occurrence). The role that analytical techniques play was analyzed. In both cases, the application of generic solvent extraction and solid-phase extraction (SPE) clean-up, followed by liquid or gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry, is decisive. Advances within the analytical techniques have played an unquestionable role.
CONCLUSIONS
All these studies have contributed to an important advance in the knowledge of analytical techniques for the detection of pesticide levels and the subsequent assessment of nonoccupational human exposure.
Topics: Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Environmental Exposure; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Health Status Indicators; Humans; Mass Spectrometry; Pesticide Residues; Pesticides; Solid Phase Extraction; Solvents
PubMed: 34208757
DOI: 10.3390/molecules26123688 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Dec 2023Amylase is an indispensable hydrolase in insect growth and development. Its varied enzymatic parameters cause insects to have strong stress resistance. Amylase gene... (Review)
Review
Amylase is an indispensable hydrolase in insect growth and development. Its varied enzymatic parameters cause insects to have strong stress resistance. Amylase gene replication is a very common phenomenon in insects, and different copies of amylase genes enable changes in its location and function. In addition, the classification, structure, and interaction between insect amylase inhibitors and amylases have also invoked the attention of researchers. Some plant-derived amylase inhibitors have inhibitory activities against insect amylases and even mammalian amylases. In recent years, an increasing number of studies have clarified the effects of pesticides on the amylase activity of target and non-target pests, which provides a theoretical basis for exploring safe and efficient pesticides, while the exact lethal mechanisms and safety in field applications remain unclear. Here, we summarize the most recent advances in insect amylase studies, including its sequence and characteristics and the regulation of amylase inhibitors (α-AIs). Importantly, the application of amylases as the nanocide trigger, RNAi, or other kinds of pesticide targets will be discussed. A comprehensive foundation will be provided for applying insect amylases to the development of new-generation insect management tools and improving the specificity, stability, and safety of pesticides.
Topics: Animals; alpha-Amylases; Amylases; Enzyme Inhibitors; Insecta; Pest Control; Pesticides
PubMed: 38067617
DOI: 10.3390/molecules28237888