Residential proximity to greenhouse crops and pesticide exposure (via acetylcholinesterase activity) assessed from childhood through adolescence.

BACKGROUND: Off-target drift of pesticides from farms increases the risk of pesticide exposure of people living nearby. Cholinesterase inhibitors (i.e. organophosphates and carbamates) are frequently used in agriculture and inhibit acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity. Greenhouse agriculture is an important production method, but it is unknown how far pesticide drift from greenhouses can extend and expose people living nearby. METHODS: This study included 1156 observations from 3 exams (2008, Apr, 2016 and Jul-Oct 2016) of 623 children aged 4-to-17 years living in agricultural communities in Ecuador. AChE, a physiological marker of cholinesterase inhibitor exposure, was measured in blood. Geographic positioning of greenhouses and homes were obtained using GPS receivers and satellite imagery. Distances between homes and the nearest greenhouse edge, and areas of greenhouse crops within various buffer zones around homes were calculated. Repeated-measures regression adjusted for hemoglobin and other covariates estimated change in AChE relative to distance from greenhouses. RESULTS: The pooled mean (SD) of AChE activity was 3.58 U/mL (0.60). The median (25th-75th %tile) residential distance to crops was 334 m (123, 648) and crop area within 500 m of homes (non-zero values only) was 18,482 m2 (7115, 61,841). Residential proximity to greenhouse crops was associated with lower AChE activity among children living within 275 m of crops (AChE difference per 100 m of proximity [95% CI] = -0.10 U/mL [-0.20, -0.006]). Lower AChE activity was associated with greater crop area within 500 m of homes (AChE difference per 1000 m2 [95% CI] = -0.026 U/mL [-0.040, -0.012]) and especially within 150 m (-0.037 U/mL [-0.065, -0.007]). CONCLUSIONS: Residential proximity to floricultural greenhouses, especially within 275 m, was associated with lower AChE activity among children, reflecting greater cholinesterase inhibitor exposure from pesticide drift. Analyses of residential proximity and crop areas near homes yielded complementary findings. Mitigation of off-target drift of pesticides from crops onto nearby homes is recommended.

Agroecology and Health: Lessons from Indigenous Populations.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The article aims to systematize and disseminate the main contributions of indigenous ancestral wisdom in the agroecological production of food, especially in Latin America. For this purpose, it is necessary to ask whether such knowledge can be accepted by academia research groups and international forums as a valid alternative that could contribute to overcome the world's nutritional problems. RECENT FINDINGS: Although no new findings are being made, the validity of ancestral knowledge and agroecology is recognized by scientific research, and by international forums organized by agencies of the United Nations. These recommend that governments should implement them in their policies of development, and in the allocation of funds to support these initiatives. Agroecology and ancestral knowledge are being adopted by a growing number of organizations, indigenous peoples and social groups in various parts of the world, as development alternatives that respond to local needs and worldviews. Its productive potential is progressively being recognized at an international level as a model that contributes to improve the condition of people regarding nutritional food.