Alteraciones Del Ciclo Menstrual De Adolescentes Expuestas No Ocupacionalmente a Una Mezcla De Plaguicidas De Una Zona Agrícola De San Luis Potosí, México. Estudio Piloto

Abstract

Persistent organic pollutants are a group of chemical compounds of global concern due to the health damages caused by the exposure to them. Their capacity as endocrine disrupters is one of their main characteristics, being women in reproductive age the most vulnerable population. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of exposure to a mixture of pesticides in the menstrual cycle of a sample of 29 teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17 years old from El Refugio, San Luis Potosi, Mexico, a community whose predominant activity is agriculture. The participants were trained to record in a diary/ logbook all the events related to their menstrual cycle. Serum levels of sex hormones were measured by chemiluminescence, and plasma concentrations of organochlorine (OC) pesticides and the level of dialkyl phosphates metabolites (DAPs) of organophosphorus agrochemicals presented in urine were measured through gas chromatographymass spectrometry. Around 41.6 % of the participants presented some alteration in their hormonal levels, mainly of follicle-stimulating hormone and progesterone. Of these, OC pesticides in plasma were detected in 62 % (ΣOC = 1651.25 ng/g of lipid), and 66 % had detectable levels of DAPs (ΣDAP = 153.82 mg/g of creatinine). Together, these results suggest damage to the endocrine system that could be generated by exposure to a mixture of OC and organophosphorus pesticides could generate.

Exposure to non-persistent pesticides and puberty timing: a systematic review of the epidemiological evidence

“…Descriptive data (a) Give characteristics of study participants (e.g. demographic, clinical, social) and information on exposures and potential confounders Regarding the quality of evidence, seven studies (35,36,37,38,39,40,41) were classified as 'very low', five (42,43,44,45,46) as 'low', and one (47) as 'moderate'. The main reasons for downgrading the quality were risk of bias due to inadequate control of plausible confounders and imprecision due to the small sample size.…”

“…In the same line, Croes et al (45) found that higher urinary levels of OP metabolites diethylphosphate (DEP), diethylthiophosphate (DETP), and diethyl dithiophosphate (DEDTP) were associated with lower Tanner breast stage at the age of 14-15 years. Furthermore, Rodríguez-López et al (41) found higher urinary dimethylphosphate (DMP) and DEDTP levels in girls with alterations in serum LH levels, and Graham et al (35) observed increased age at menarche in girls living in farming areas environmentally exposed to non-endocrine-disrupting pesticides in comparison to non-exposed girls. In other studies, Suh et al (40) found no difference in the urinary levels of 320 compounds (including non-persistent pesticide metabolites) between 30 girls experiencing precocious puberty and 30 prepubertal controls, while Guillette et al (37) found no difference in breast Tanner stage between peripubescent girls living in agricultural vs non-agricultural areas.…”

“…Nine out of the ten reviewed studies had a cross-sectional design (35,36,37,38,39,41,42,43,45). This type of investigation is easier to perform in comparison to a longitudinal study and allows the analysis of multiple outcomes; however, it is inadequate to evaluate causal relationships between exposure to non-persistent pesticides and puberty timing.…”

“…However, the appearance of secondary sexual characteristics such as breast buttons in girls, increased testicular size in boys, and pubic hair development in both sexes provide relevant information, with the Tanner scale as gold standard reference. This scale was used to assess sexual maturation in all except five studies in this review (35,36,40,41,44). It was administered by clinicians in all of these studies except for two, in which the scale was self-assessed by participants (42,43).…”

“…Elucidation of the mechanisms underlying the effect of modern pesticides on puberty requires data on the hormones produced by organs involved in pubertal development, such as the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, gonads, and adrenal glands. Serum testosterone, estradiol, sexual hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), FSH, and LH levels were investigated by Croes et al (38,45), English et al (39) and Rodríguez-López et al (41) while Wohlfahrt-Veje et al (46,47) added the adrenal hormones androstenedione and DHEA sulfate to this list. Urinary levels of FSH and LH were studied by Ye et al (42,43) as a proxy of serum gonadotrophin levels.…”