Pesticide exposure and neuropsychological impairment in migrant farm workers

Abstract

The chronic, long-term effects from exposure to many frequently used pesticides have yet to be fully documented. Migrant Hispanic farm workers who are the frequent victims of such exposures are rarely studied. A neuropsychological test battery was administered to 21 migrant farm workers acutely exposed to Phosdrin, Lannate and Maneb on two occasions, and to 11 controls matched for age, sex, education, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity. Results revealed that two years after the pesticide exposures, the exposed group was significantly more impaired than controls on tests of psychomotor speed, dexterity, and visuospatial memory. Disturbing emotional symptoms were reported with significantly greater frequency by the exposed group in comparison to controls. Results are consistent with the previously reported constellation of symptoms and neuropsychological deficits associated with pesticide exposure.

Manganese toxicity is targeting an early step in the dopamine signal transduction pathway that controls lateral cilia activity in the bivalve mollusc Crassostrea virginica

“…The condition was first described in 1837 in two manganese ore-crushing mill workers (Couper, 1837) and has since been referred to as manganism (Mena et al, 1967; Barbeau, 1984; Donaldson, 1987; Gorell et al, 1999). Toxic manganese exposure is also possible in other occupational settings including welding, steel or dry battery manufacturing, and agricultural use of MANEB (manganese ethylene (bis)dithiocarbamate) or other organomanganese fungicides (Olanow, 2004; NAS, 1973; Meco et al, 1994; Reidy, et al, 1992; Iregren, 1999). In addition, there is a growing concern about the potential health consequences of chronic low-level ambient manganese exposure in the general population due to increased industrial use of manganese containing compounds being released into the environment as well as commercial use of compounds like methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbony (MMT), an antiknock gasoline additive (Kaiser, 2003).…”

Occupational health outcomes for workers in the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector: Implications for immigrant workers in the southeastern US

“…Specific crops and pesticides have been associated with particular cancers among Latino farmworkers in California [Mills et al, ]. Agrochemical exposure also has been linked with adverse neurobehavioral outcomes among Latino farmworkers and their children [Reidy et al, ; Kamel et al, ; Rohlman et al, , ]. Among Latino women, maternal exposures to pesticides are associated with adverse reproductive outcomes including decreased fecundability, increased rate of autism spectrum disorders, neurodevelopmental delays, decreased child IQ, and abnormal perinatal reflexes [Young et al, ; Eskenazi et al, ; Roberts et al, ; Harley et al, ; Bouchard et al, ].…”

Behavioral observation used to estimate pesticide exposure for farm workers in Brazil.

“…Long-term exposure to concentrations of organophosphorus (OP) and other pesticides that do not produce frank toxicity or poisoning has been shown to impair behavior in many studies (e.g., Jors et al, 2006; Kamel & Hoppin, 2004). Behavioral studies of pesticide applicators, greenhouse workers, agricultural workers and farm residents exposed repeatedly over months or years to low levels of OPs reveal a consistent pattern of neurobehavioral deficits (Bazylewicz-Walczak, Majczakowa, & Szymczak, 1999; Cole et al, 1997; Eckerman et al, 2007; Farahat et al, 2003; Fiedler, Kipen, McNeil, & Fenske, 1997; Gomes, Lloyd, Revitt, & Basha, 1998; Kamel et al, 2003; Korsak & Sato, 1977; London, Myers, Nell, Taylor, & Thompson, 1997; Reidy, Bowler, Rauch, & Pedroza, 1992; Rohlman et al, 2007; Rohlman, Bailey, Anger, & McCauley, 2001; Roldán-Tapia, Parrón, & Sanchez-Santed, 2005; Rothlein et al, 2006; Steenland et al, 2000; Stephens et al, 1995). The functional domains most consistently affected by OP exposure include psychomotor and cognitive behavior (Bushnell & Moser, 2005).…”