Occupational Exposure to Pesticides and Knowledge About Related Policies in Urban Pest Control Operators From Southeast Mexico

Abstract

Pesticides, which are widely used in tropical areas for controlling disease vectors, require the services of urban pest control operators (fumigators). Pesticide use and handling policies and regulations mostly relate to agricultural uses, not to urban pest control purposes. Our objectives included investigating use patterns, pesticide management practices, knowledge on related policies in urban pesticide applicators of southeastern Mexico, and comparing butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) activity in this group with individuals non-occupationally exposed to pesticides. We conducted a cross-sectional study where all participants were males. The exposed group was integrated by 27 urban pest control operators and the non-exposed group by 26 non-sprayer subjects. A structured questionnaire was applied to participants and BuChE activity in serum was determined. Urban pest control operators had been working with pesticides for 1-17 years, mostly during summer; 67 % did not use personal protection equipment. Eighteen active ingredients were employed as pesticides; chemical groups included pyrethroids (PYR), organophosphates (OP), coumarins, phenylpyrazoles, carbamates (CAR), chloronicotinyls, and amides. Policy knowledge and application were reported in only 30 % of the fumigators. BuChE activity (U/L) was similar between groups: 9837.95 ± 1844.46 U/L in urban pest control vs. 10 414.81 ± 1558.42 U/L for the non-sprayer group. We suggest the inclusion of additional biomarkers in the evaluation of occupational exposure to pesticides, because currently only OPs and CARs are considered, while fumigators are exposed to many other pesticides. Urban pesticide applicators lacked knowledge regarding pesticide management and application policies, hence the need for educational courses for workers and updating regulations. Palabras clave: regulaciones, fumigadores urbanos, actividad de butirilcolinesterasa sugiere la inclusión de marcadores biológicos adicionales en la evaluación de la exposición ocupacional a plaguicidas, dado que los actuales sólo consideran la presencia de OP y CAR, pero los aplicadores están expuestos a otros tipos de plaguicidas. Se concluye que se requiere educar a los trabajadores y actualizar la regulación existente.

A Systematic Review of Studies on Genotoxicity and Related Biomarkers in Populations Exposed to Pesticides in Mexico

“…However, Payán-Rentería et al ( 2012), and Alvarado Ibarra et al (2019) did not demonstrate different AChE values among agricultural workers when compared to the control group [47,75]. Similarly, no difference was found for the BuChE levels between exposed and controls in southeastern Mexico by Ruiz-Gamboa et al, 2018 [73].…”

Pesticide management and farmers perception of environmental and health issues due to pesticide use in the state of yucatán, mexico: A study case

“…In Mexico, the use of 260 different pesticides has been reported. Of these, 34 are banned and 13 are restricted; moreover, among the 90 pesticide types forbidden in the USA, 30 are being produced in Mexico (Ruiz-Gamboa et al 2018). Pesticides can transfer from one environmental matrix to another.…”

“…This is aggravated by the fact that there is no record of the agricultural use of these substances in the state. In Mexico, recent studies report a lack of knowledge of farmers regarding pesticide management and the negative impact on family members (Pérez-Herrera et al 2018, Ruiz-Gamboa et al 2018, Esquivel-Valenzuela et al 2019.…”