Genotoxic, Biochemical Biomarkers And Perceived Health InTerrestrial Pesticide Aplicators In Córdoba, Argentina. Inte

MUÑOZ SE; BUTINOF M,; FERNÁNDEZ R; LERDA D; LANTIERI MJ; BLANCO M; FRANCHINI G; GIECO M; FILIPPI I ; MONTEDORO F; PORTILLA M; DIAZ MP

Congreso; 27th Conference of the International Society of Environmental Epidemiology; 2015

International Society of Environmental Epidemiology

Pesticides are a central aspect of agricultural modern practices. Almost 90% of the total the total applied is deposited in abiotic components (soil, water and sediments) and non-target organisms, affecting Public Health and the environment. It is widely known that some of them cause health disorders like inhibiting some enzymes activity, have genotoxic, mutagenic and immunological disorders, and can be expressed as an association with cancer, neurological and neuro-cognitive disorders, endocrine disruption, congenital malformations and reproductive disorders. The risks of chronic toxicity occur frequently in agricultural workers. In Argentina agricultural activity is the main source of country income and pesticide use has not been extensively studied in relation to health risks. We enrolled 47 exposed and 52 non-exposed subjects in the frame of the Argentinean terrestrial pesticides applicators study (ATePAS) being conducted in Córdoba, to study genotoxic and biochemical parameters as effect biomarkers of chronic exposure and perceived health. Briefly, a questionnaire including bio-socio-cultural characteristics, perceived health symptoms, blood and urinary samples were obtained. Genotoxic damage was evaluated by mean of Chromosomical Aberrations (CA), Sister Chromatid Exchange (SCE), Micronuclei (MN) and Comet (C) assays; selected enzymatic alterations were also assessed. The presence of general clinical, cardio-respiratory and dermal were significant different among exposed and non exposed. Visual disorders were, however, associated to age. For each year of age, the chance of presenting visual symptoms is increased by 5%. The presence of neurological or gastric symptoms did not differ among groups. Both groups had similar biochemical parameters. Significant higher genotoxic damage was found in exposed as indicated by SCE, MN, CA and C assays. (With 2.99; 2,72; 0.86 and 19 points higher respectively). Genotoxic damage was not associated with any perceived clinical symptoms, except for those subjects with cardio respiratory symptoms, perhaps due to chance. These preliminary results motivate the future monitoring of these subjects through a cohort study, to assess changes in the health status of individuals with genetic damage and the effects on those with changes in exposure status.