Risk evaluation of occupational exposure of southern Brazilian flower farmers to pesticides potentially leading to cholinesterase inhibition and metals exposure

• Published in: Environmental toxicology and pharmacology Vol. 93; p. 103874
• Main Authors: Aguera, Raul Gomes, Freires, Camila da Silva, Oliveira, Luís Otavio de, Monteiro, Lucilena Rebelo, Lini, Renata Sano, Romoli, Jéssica Cristina Zoratto, Freire, Bruna Moreira, Nerilo, Samuel Botião, Machinski Junior, Miguel, Batista, Bruno Lemos, Mossini, Simone Aparecida Galerani
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.07.2022; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Blood; Cholinesterase; Cholinesterase inhibitors; Exposure; Farmers; Farms; Flowers; Heavy metals; Horticulture; Insomnia; Manganese; Mass spectrometry; Mass spectroscopy; Metals; Observational studies; Occupational exposure; Occupational exposures; Occupational health; Pesticides; Risk assessment; Sleep disorders; Spectrophotometry; Occupational exposures; Occupational health; Horticulture; Cholinesterase inhibitors; Metals; Pesticides; Cholinesterase Inhibitors; Occupational Health
• ISSN: 1382-6689; 1872-7077; 1872-7077
• DOI: 10.1016/j.etap.2022.103874

This work presents a frequency matched observational study comparing flower farmers exposed to pesticides and unexposed individuals as controls. All subjects were interviewed before plasma and urine collection. Manganese and Zinc were measured in theses samples by using dynamic reaction cell inductively coupled mass spectrometry. Cholinesterase activity was analyzed through spectrophotometry by using a modified version of the Ellman method. Seventy-eight percent of subjects reported occupational contact with pesticides, from which 37% reported exposure for over 9 years. Flower farms farmers had increased odds of having headache and irritability, respectively, by factors of 6.2 and 2.4 than the control subjects. While the odds of exposed subjects to have insomnia was smaller than control subjects by a factor of 0.34. Exposure to pesticides had a significant effect regarding the plasmatic plasma and urinary manganese levels and whole blood cholinesterase activity (p < 0.05). High levels of plasma and urinary manganese, as well as cholinesterase inhibition in whole blood, were evident in the flower farmers who participated in the study. [Display omitted] •Flower workers are chronically exposure to pesticides in southern Brazil.•Workers exposed to pesticides presented high levels of plasma and urinary metals.•Flower workers exposure to pesticides presented cholinesterase inhibition.•Exposure to cholinesterase inhibitors and some fungicides was associated with neurological symptoms.