GENETIC ABNORMALITIES IN TWO AGRICULTURAL POPULATIONS OCCUPATIONALLY EXPOSED TO PESTICIDES IN CORDOBA, ARGENTINA

BUTINOF, MARIANA; LERDA, DANIEL; EANDI, MARIANA; FERNANDEZ, RICARDO; LAINO, JUAN MANUEL; BLANCO, MARCELO; DIAZ, MARÍA DEL PILAR; MONTEDORO, FRANCO; SORIA, VALERIA; FRANCHINI, GERMAN; LANTIERI, MARIA JOSEFINA; FILIPPI, IOHANNA; HUERGO, GUILLERMINA

Miami

Congreso; Epidemiology Congress of the Americas 2016; 2016

Introduction: Agr icultur e is one of the main economic activity in Ar gentina.Workers in this sector face a high occupational risk and few studies have addressedthis problem. It is widely known that occupational exposure to pesticidesin agricultural workers is associated with a heavy burden of chronic diseases.Pesticides can inhibit enzymes activity, cause genotoxicity or immunologicaldisorders, effects that can be associated with the occurrence of cancer, neurological,neuro-cognitive and reproductive disorders, endocrine disruption and congenitalmalformations. Two populations from two well differentiated scenarios interms of vulnerability towards pesticide exposure were studied. Objective: Toevaluate genotoxicity biomarkers in two different exposed populations: workersfrom green belt of Cordoba city (GBW) and terrestrial pesticide applicators ofextensive crops (PAEC) respect from unexposed subjects. Methodology: Weenrolled 47 PAEC, 20 GBW and 52 controls. Inclusion and exclusion criteriawere considered.General Lineal Models were fitted; to assess genotoxic damageand exposure, genotoxicity indicators were used as outcome variables(cromosomical aberrations CA, micronuclei MN, Sister Chromatid exchange SCEand comet assay CA) and controlling for exposure status (unexposed, intensivecrops and extensive crops) age, alcohol consume and butyrylcholinesterase levelas covariates with gamma random component link identity or reciprocal. Inclusionand exclusion criteria were considered. Results: Both groups shared a significantincrease in genotoxicity parameters as evident from highest values of CA,MN and SCE respect to unexposed subjects. Conclusion: These results highlightsthe role of chronic exposure to pesticides in health damage. Different factorsinvolved with pesticide exposure may be identified in both extensive andintensive crops. Higher control and monitoring of working conditions should becarried out for prevention purpose.