Assessment of exposure to pesticides in rural workers in southern of Minas Gerais, Brazil

Publication date: Available online 18 August 2017 Source:Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology Author(s): Alessandra Cristina Pupin Silvério, Simone Caetani Machado, Luciana Azevedo, Denismar Alves Nogueira, Miriam Monteiro de Castro Graciano, Juliana Savioli Simões, André Luiz Machado Viana, Isarita Martins The aim of the study was to assess of occupational exposure to pesticides in rural workers using genotoxicity test, bioindicators and clinical evaluation. Blood, urine and buccal samples from persons, rural workers exposed to a complex mixture of pesticides with organophosphates (n=94) and without organophosphates (n=94) were collected to compare the activities of cholinesterases, the levels of urinary dialkyl phosphates, genotoxicity data, from a cytome assay. Biomarkers were analysed by traditional/published methods Control group consisted of 50 other persons, non- occupationally exposed to pesticides from the city of Alfenas, Minas Gerais, Brazil. All subjects underwent a clinical evaluation. In the group exposed to organophosphates, the activity of acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase and total cholinesterase was lower by 63.8%, 12.8%, and 14.8%, respectively, and 92.6% of the group had dialkyl phosphates present in their urine. The cytome assay was used to measure biomarkers of DNA damage (micronuclei and/or elimination of nuclear material by budding), cytokinetic defects (binucleated cells), and proliferative potential (basal cell) and/or cel...
Source: Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology - Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research