ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Pesticides are of concern in Bolivia because of increasing use. Frequent intoxications have been demonstrated due to use of very toxic pesticides, insufficient control of distribution and sale and little knowledge among farmers of protective measures and hygienic procedures. METHOD: Questionnaires were applied and blood tests taken from 81 volunteers from La Paz County, of whom 48 were pesticide exposed farmers and 33 non-exposed controls. Sixty males and 21 females participated with a mean age of 37.3 years (range 17-76). Data of exposure and possible genetic damage were collected and evaluated by well known statistical methods, controlling for relevant confounders. To measure genetic damage chromosomal aberrations and the comet assay analysis were performed. RESULTS: Pesticide exposed farmers had a higher degree of genetic damage compared to the control group. The number of chromosomal aberrations increased with the intensity of pesticide exposure. Females had a lower number of chromosomal aberrations than males, and people living at altitudes above 2500 metres seemed to exhibit more DNA damage measured by the comet assay. CONCLUSIONS: Bolivian farmers showed signs of genotoxic damage, probably related to exposure to pesticides. Due to the potentially negative long term health effects of genetic damage on reproduction and the development of cancer, preventive measures are recommended. Effective control with imports and sales, banning of the most toxic pesticides, education and information are possible measures, which could help preventing the negative effects of pesticides on human health and the environment.
ABSTRACT
Objetivo- Detectar los efectos citotóxicos y genotóxicos en trabajadores agrícolas, mediante estudios de biomonitoreo genético. Diseño. Casos y controles. Participantes- Trabajadores agrícolas de Caranavi, Guanay, Mecapaca y Palca del Departamento de La Paz. Lugar.- Localidades de Caranavi, Guanay, Mecapaca y Palca. Unidad genética Toxicológica, Instituto de Genética. Material y Métodos. Se aplicó cuestionario a 259 trabajadores agrícolas. Se evaluó el efecto genotóxico en linfocitos de sangre heparinizada, a travéz de la frecuencia de intercambios entre Cromáties Hermanas (ICH), el índice de proliferación celular (PRI), el tanto por ciento de células con alta frecuencia de intercambios (por ciento HFC), frecuencia de micronúcleos en células binucleadas (MNBN), el índice de división nuclear (IDN), la presencia de aberraciones cromósonicas estructurales (AC), y parámetros de la prueba cometa, como DNA de la cola, DNA de la cabeza, longitud de la cola y longitud del cometa, el momento de la cola, y momento Olive.
Objective To detect the cytotoxic and genotoxic effects in farm workers, by means of genetic biomonitoring studies. Design Cases and controls Participants Farm workers from Caranavi, Guanay, Palca and Mecapaca Place Towns of Caranavi, Guanay, P alca and Mecapaca, Genetic Toxicology unit. Genetic Institute. Material and methodsQuestionnaires to 257 agricultural workers were applied genotoxic effect was evaluated in lymphocytes from heparinized blood, through analysis of sister chromatid Exchange (SCE), cells with a high frecuency of SCE (HFC), proliferation rate index (PRI) the micronucleus (MN) assay, nuclear division index (NDI), chromosomal aberrations (CA) and comet assay parameters like DNA tail, DNA head, tail length comet length, tail moment and Olive moment. Results The frequency of SCE, MN/BN and CA was significantly increased (p<0.05) in cases vs. control group. Likewise, the parameters of Tail DNA, DNA head...