Genotoxicity and Reproductive Risk in Workers Exposed to Pesticides in Rural Areas of Curicó, Chile: A Pilot Study.

Significant risks to human health have been associated with chronic exposure to low doses of pesticides, a situation which may be frequent among agricultural workers. In this context, and regarding the agricultural-based economy of central Chile, we aimed to explore the genotoxic damage in agricultural workers and reproductive risk among women in rural and urban areas of Curicó, a traditional agricultural district in Chile. Hence, we sampled a group of rural agricultural workers associated with pesticide management (n = 30) and an urban unexposed group (n = 30). Our results showed that the agricultural workers had higher micronuclei frequencies (MN: ß = 13.27; 95% CI low = 11.08, CI high = 15.47) and women had a 40-fold higher risk of reproductive problems (OR = 40.32; 95% CI low = 2.60, CI high = 624.31) than the unexposed group. The factor analysis of mixed data (FAMD) showed that neither the sex nor smoking habits appear to define the ordination of the data. Nevertheless, the exposure level did segregate them in the multidimensional space (explained variance: 35.38% dim-1; 18.63% dim-2). This pilot study highlights the higher risks of biological conditions negatively associated with the health of agricultural workers.

Health Effects of Pesticide Exposure in Latin American and the Caribbean Populations: A Scoping 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%, n=88) and Mexico (20%, n=46), were cross-sectional in design (72%, n=167), and focused on farmworkers (45%, n=105) or children (21%, n=48). The most frequently studied health effects included genotoxicity (24%, n=62) and neurobehavioral outcomes (21%, n=54), and organophosphate (OP) pesticides were the most frequently examined (26%, n=81). Forty-seven percent (n=112) 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.

DNA damage in a Chilean population exposed to pesticides and its association with PON1 (Q192R and L55M) susceptibility biomarker.

The active ingredients in pesticides are known to be genotoxic that can cause mutations, chromosomal aberrations, or other types of DNA damage. Early detection of genotoxicity reduces the risk of developing diseases such as cancer or suffering from reproductive disorders. In turn, the genotoxic risk depends on the intrinsic capability of the individual to metabolize and eliminate the xenobiotic from the organism. This study aimed to determine if two polymorphisms of paraoxonase-1 (PON1), which is involved in the metabolism of several organophosphate (OP) pesticides, are predictors of susceptibility to DNA damage in agricultural workers and inhabitants of rural areas chronically exposed to pesticides. A cross-sectional study was made considering three groups: agricultural workers (occupational exposure, OE, n = 85), rural inhabitants (environmental exposure, EE, n = 60), and an unexposed group conformed by people living far from agricultural areas (U, n = 33). The level of individual DNA damage was measured using the comet assay, and genotyping was done to determine the PON1 Q192R and L55M polymorphisms. Acetylcholinesterase and butyrilcholinesterase activities were also measured to determine exposure to OP. Individuals belonging to EE and OE groups displayed higher levels of DNA damage compared with U group (p < .001). OP exposure was the main predictor of genotoxicity (ß = 16.19; 95% CI: 1.85, 30.52), instead of PON1 polymorphisms (ß = -12.20; 95% CI: -27.87, 3.48). These results confirm the genotoxic effects of pesticide exposure and suggest that the catalytic efficiency of PON1 to metabolize OP pesticides becomes negligible in individuals with a history of long-term environmental or occupational exposure to these substances.

Levels of Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-Dioxins/Furans (PCDD/Fs) and Dioxin-Like Polychlorinated Biphenyls (DL-PCBs) in Human Breast Milk in Chile: A Pilot Study.

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are organic compounds that resist biochemical degradation, moving long distances across the atmosphere before deposition occurs. Our goal was to provide up-to-date data on the levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/furans (PCDD/Fs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (DL-PCBs) in breast milk from Chilean women and to estimate the exposure of infants due to breast milk consumption. In Chile, we conducted a cross-sectional study based on methodologies proposed by the WHO, with a sample of 30 women recruited from three defined areas: 10 from the Arica Region (urban; Arica and Parinacota Region), 10 from Coltauco (rural; O'Higgins Region), and 10 from Molina (40% rural; Maule Region). High-resolution gas chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS) was performed on pooled samples from each area. We calculated equivalent toxic concentrations (WHO-TEQ) based on the current WHO Toxic Equivalency Factors (TEF). The minimum and maximum values of ∑ PCDDs/Fs + DL-PCBs-TEQ were 4.317 pg TEQ/g fat in Coltauco and 6.31 pg TEQ/g fat in Arica. Molina had a total TEQ of 5.50 pg TEQ/g fat. The contribution of PCDD/Fs was approximately five-fold higher than that of DL-PCBs. The Estimated Daily Intake (EDI) of ∑ PCDDs/Fs + DL-PCBs based on the three pooled samples ranged between 6.71 and 26.28 pg TEQ/kg body weight (bw)/day, with a mean intake of 16.11 (±6.71) pg TEQ/kg bw/day in breastfed children from 0 to 24 months old. These levels were lower than those reported in international studies. Despite the fact that the observed levels were low compared to those in most industrialized countries, the detection of a variety of POPs in breast milk from Chilean women indicates the need for follow-up studies to determine whether such exposures during childhood could represent a health risk in adulthood.

A Positive Relationship between Exposure to Heavy Metals and Development of Chronic Diseases: A Case Study from Chile.

Chile is a mining country, where waste mining is frequently found in the vicinity of inhabited areas. To explore the association between metal exposure and alterations in glucose metabolism, inflammatory status, and oxidative stress in individuals with chronic exposure to metals, a cross-sectional study was performed with 25 volunteers, between 45-65 years old. Inductive coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used to measure urinary levels of total arsenic (As) and its metabolites, cooper, nickel, chromium, and lead. Lipid profile, glucose, and insulin were measured in blood, as well as inflammation (interleukin-6, IL-6) and oxidative stress (8-hydroxy-2'deoxyguanosine, 8-OHdG) markers. Increased levels of Low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoproteins, cholesterol and 8-OHdG, and the index for homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were observed in 72%, 60%, and 56% of the volunteers, respectively. Blood-glucose levels were correlated with dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) (R2 = 0.47, p = 0.019), inorganic As (Asi) (R2 = 0.40, p = 0.012), and Ni (R2 = 0.56; p = 0.044). The models with these compounds explained 72% of the glycemia variability (ßDMA = -6.47; ßAsi = 6.68; ßNi = 6.87). Ni showed a significantly influence on IL-6 variability (ß = 0.85: R2 = 0.36). Changes in glycemia could be related to exposure to low levels of Asi and Ni, representing risk factors for metabolic diseases. Body mass index would confuse the relation between IL-6 and Ni levels, probably due to known chronic inflammation present in obese people.

[Pesticide exposure in Chile and population health: urgency for decision making]. / Exposición a plaguicidas en Chile y salud poblacional: urgencia para la toma de decisiones.

In the last 25 years, Chile has had an expanding role as an agro-export country in the global economy, with efficient rates of productivity in the region, based on the technological development of agriculture, with of large monocultures whose productivity depends on the intensive application of agrochemicals. This form of agriculture has also lacked efficient regulations and surveillance, so it is difficult to estimate the real magnitude of the exposed population and its effects on health in the short or long term. This systematic review compiles the epidemiological evidence generated from studies conducted in several regions of Chile regarding pesticide exposure and health effects. Of the total number of articles, 50% included agricultural workers, 25% children, and 25% women of childbearing age, with the greatest effects being the neurotoxic (54%), genotoxic (31%) and reproductive (15%). The evidence collected shows that in Chile the levels of exposure to pesticides in the general and occupational population are higher than international studies levels. It is urgent to protect the health of both the occupational and general population and especially children through a stricter control of the sale and use of pesticides, with comprehensive surveillance systems in environmental health and educational actions in the social and cultural context of rural communities. It is a priority to strengthen research with national relevance on health effects, and strictly restrict the use of pesticides already prohibited in developed countries due to their high level of risk to human and environmental health.

Longitudinal exposure to pyrethroids (3-PBA and trans-DCCA) and 2,4-D herbicide in rural schoolchildren of Maule region, Chile.

BACKGROUND: Several studies showed that early exposure to pesticides affects the development and health of children. In Maule, there is previous evidence of the high exposure to organophosphate pesticides (OP) of schoolchildren. However, to date, there are no studies assessing exposure to pyrethroids and the herbicide 2,4-D. Objetive. To evaluate children's exposure to pyrethroids insecticides 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA), trans 3-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane carboxylic acid (trans-DCCA) and 2,4 dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) herbicides. METHOD: Longitudinal study with 48 schoolchildren from two rural schools in the Maule region, Chile. Urinary metabolites of pyrethroids 3-PBA, Trans-DCCA and 2,4-D herbicides were evaluated in 2016 and 2017. Mann-Whitney U for repeated measurements and Spearman's rho correlation tests were used for data analysis. Also, we used a system of impulsive differential equations for mathematical modeling. RESULTS: All the schoolchildren assessed had more than two pesticide urinary metabolites in both years, with the 3-PBA metabolite being the most frequent. There was an increase in concentrations of urinary 3-PBA in November 2017, compared to 2016 (from 0.69 µg/L to 1.90 µg/L). In 2016, the specific metabolites of 3-PBA were correlated with Trans-DCCA, 2,4-D, chlorpyrifos, diazinon, and para-nitrophenol. In 2017, 3-PBA was correlated with 2,4-D, and Trans-DCCA. The concentrations of 3-PBA of Chilean children were higher than studies conducted in the USA that found an association of prenatal exposure to these metabolites with cognitive difficulties. CONCLUSIONS: We found high concentrations of pyrethroid metabolites among all the schoolchildren assessed, which may impact on their health and development. These insecticides had received no attention from the scientific community in Chile, and neither from the government agencies, despite the increased use of these chemicals in recent years. This is the first study in South America that confirms the exposure to pyrethroids and herbicides through biomarkers in human population living near farm fields.

Reduced neurobehavioral functioning in agricultural workers and rural inhabitants exposed to pesticides in northern Chile and its association with blood biomarkers inhibition.

BACKGROUND: Previous biomonitoring studies have shown that people in the rural population of Coquimbo, the major agricultural area in northern Chile are being occupationally and environmentally exposed to organophosphate/carbamate (OP/CB) pesticides. Given their harmful effects, this study had two aims; first, to evaluate the effect of cumulative or chronic exposure to OP/CB pesticides on the neurobehavioral performance of agricultural workers and rural inhabitants; second, to determine if changes in the neurobehavioral performance are associated to changes in blood biomarkers of OP/CB pesticides during the spray season, when exposure is higher. METHODS: For the first aim, a cross sectional study of neurobehavioral performance in adult volunteers (men and women, 18-50 years-old, right-handed) was carried out in the pre-spray season. Sampling was done by convenience and a questionnaire was used to categorize participants depending on their level of chronic exposure, as either: occupationally exposed (OE, n = 87), environmentally exposed (EE, n = 81), or non-exposed controls or reference group (RG, n = 100). A neurobehavioral test battery consisting of 21 tests to measure cognitive, motor and emotional state was applied. For the second aim, neurobehavioral measures were taken a second time from EE and OE groups during the spray season, and their exposure corroborated by blood-based biomarker inhibition. RESULTS: Lower neurobehavioral performance was observed in the pre-spray evaluation of EE and OE groups compared to the non-exposed, OE being the worst performing group. Seasonal exposure impaired performance in both exposure groups on all tests except those on attention and mood. Data modeling of the basal (pre-spray) measurements showed that the level of exposure was the best predictor of performance. During spraying, inhibition of BChE activity in the EE group was the best predictor of low performance in tests measuring logical, auditory and visual memory, inhibitory control of cognitive interference, constructional and planning abilities, executive functions, and motor speed and coordination. CONCLUSION: Long-term occupational or environmental exposure to pesticides caused impairment in neurobehavioral functioning, which worsened during the spraying season, mainly in EE. BChE inhibition was the best predictor for seasonal neurobehavioral changes in EE.

Association between cholinesterase's inhibition and cognitive impairment: A basis for prevention policies of environmental pollution by organophosphate and carbamate pesticides in Chile.

BACKGROUND: In Chile organophosphate pesticides are widely used in the production of fruits. Pesticides use is regulated for professional practice but there is no regulation regarding exposure to the general population. OBJECTIVE: To relate exposure to cholinesterase's inhibitor pesticides during the spray season with neuropsychological impairment in occupationally exposed (OE) and environmentally exposed (EE) groups of people. METHODS: Exposure was assessed through inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) activity and neuropsychological outcomes were evaluated through a large battery of tests covering general mental status, language, memory, attention, executive function, praxis and psychomotricity. Evaluations were carried out firstly in a period of no/low organophosphate pesticide use and subsequently during the spray season. All parameters were calculated as the relative change from baseline to spray season. RESULTS: For this study in total 156 participants were recruited divided equally over participants with environmental exposures (EE) and participants with occupational exposure (OE). In the EE, BChE's enzyme activity inhibition ≥30% showed significant association with 10% or more decreased performance in several tests evaluating six of the eight cognitive areas (excepting psychomotricity and mood status); besides, for AChE inhibition in EE, the association was significant in three tests evaluating attention and one of executive function. Whereas, in OE, the inhibition of the BChE ≥30% was associated with a low performance of one attention test and for AChE the exceedance of the standard was associated with diminished performance in one test of memory and attention, respectively. The association between biomarkers of biological effect and cognitive impairment persisted among the EE group after removing confounders. No association was found between biomarkers of biological acute effect and decreased cognitive performance in the OE group. CONCLUSIONS: Increased exposure to pesticides was confirmed by increased inhibition of cholinesterase's in both exposure groups; which was associated with a diminished neuropsychological performance, mainly in the environmentally exposed study group. [310 words].

Biomonitoring of blood cholinesterases and acylpeptide hydrolase activities in rural inhabitants exposed to pesticides in the Coquimbo Region of Chile.

In Chile, agriculture is a relevant economic activity and is concomitant with the use of pesticides to improve the yields. Acute intoxications of agricultural workers occur with some frequency and they must be reported to the surveillance system of the Ministry of Health. However the impacts of chronic and environmental pesticide exposure have been less studied. Among pesticides frequently used in Chile for insects control are organophosphates (OP) and carbamates (CB). They are inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE). In this study we determined the pattern of both biomarkers activity in three populations with different type of chronic exposure to OP/CB: environmentally exposed (EE), occupationally exposed (OE) and a reference group (RG) without exposure. Besides this, we also measured the activity of acylpeptide hydrolase (APEH), an enzyme involved in relevant functions in the central synapses that is also expressed in erythrocytes and previously reported to be highly inhibited by some OP. A baseline measurement was done in both exposure groups and then a second measurement was done during the spraying season. The RG was measured only once at any time of the year. Our results indicate that people under chronic OP/CB exposure showed an adaptive response through an increase of basal BChE activity. During the spray season only BChE activity was decreased in the EE and OE groups (p<0.05 and p<0.01, respectively) and the higher magnitude of BChE inhibition was observed in the EE group. The analysis of the frequencies of inhibition above 30% (biological tolerance limit declared by Chilean legislation) indicated that BChE was most frequently inhibited in the EE group (53% of the individuals displayed inhibition) and AChE in the OE group (55% of the individuals displayed AChE inhibition). APEH activity showed the highest frequency of inhibition in the EE group independent of its magnitude (64%). Our results demonstrate that the rural population living nearby agricultural settings displays high levels of environmental exposure. APEH activity seems to be a sensitive biomarker for acute low-level exposure and its usefulness as a routine biomarker must to be explored in future studies. Systematic biomonitoring and health outcomes studies are necessary as well as obtaining the baseline for BChE and AChE activity levels with the aim to improve environmental and occupational health policies in Chile.

Cognitive impairment in agricultural workers and nearby residents exposed to pesticides in the Coquimbo Region of Chile.

Chronic exposure to organophosphate pesticides is a worldwide public health concern associated with several psychiatric disorders and dementia. Most existing studies on the effects of pesticides only evaluate agricultural workers. Therefore, this study sought to establish if individuals indirectly exposed to pesticides, such as residents in agricultural areas, also suffer cognitive impairments. Neuropsychological evaluations were carried out on three groups (n=102): agricultural workers directly exposed to pesticides (n=32), individuals living in agricultural areas indirectly (i.e. environmentally) exposed to pesticides (n=32), and an unexposed control group (n=38). The assessed cognitive processes included memory, executive functions, attention, language praxis, and visuoconstruction. The direct exposure group performed significantly lower in executive function, verbal fluency, and visual and auditory memory tests than the indirect exposure group, which, in turn, performed worse than the unexposed group. Even after adjusting for age, gender, and educational level, both exposure groups showed higher rates of cognitive deficit than control individuals. In conclusion, both direct and indirect chronic exposure to pesticides affects cognitive functioning in adults and, consequently, actions should be taken to protect the health of not only agricultural workers, but also of residents in agricultural areas.