Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Respiratory Condition of Family Farmers Exposed to Pesticides in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Rafael J. Buralli
* ,
Helena Ribeiro
ORCID logo ,
Thais Mauad
,
Luís F. Amato-Lourenço
,
João M. Salge
,
Fredi A. Diaz-Quijano
,
Renata S. Leão
,
Rejane C. Marques
,
Daniele S. Silva
,
Jean Remy Davée Guimarães
ORCID logo
Version 1 : Received: 27 April 2018 / Approved: 29 April 2018 / Online: 29 April 2018 (10:25:38 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Buralli, R.J.; Ribeiro, H.; Mauad, T.; Amato-Lourenço, L.F.; Salge, J.M.; Diaz-Quijano, F.A.; Leão, R.S.; Marques, R.C.; Silva, D.S.; Guimarães, J.R.D. Respiratory Condition of Family Farmers Exposed to Pesticides in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15, 1203. Buralli, R.J.; Ribeiro, H.; Mauad, T.; Amato-Lourenço, L.F.; Salge, J.M.; Diaz-Quijano, F.A.; Leão, R.S.; Marques, R.C.; Silva, D.S.; Guimarães, J.R.D. Respiratory Condition of Family Farmers Exposed to Pesticides in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15, 1203.

Abstract

Pesticide exposure is a growing concern for public health. Although Brazil is the world's largest consumer of pesticides, few studies addressed the health effects among farmers. This study aimed to evaluate whether pesticide exposure is associated with respiratory outcomes among rural workers and relatives in Brazil during the crop and off-seasons. 82 family farmers were interviewed about occupational history and respiratory symptoms, and cholinesterase tests were conducted in the crop-season. Spirometry was performed during the crop and off-season. Respiratory outcomes were compared between seasons and multiple regressions were conducted to search for associations with exposure indicators. Participants were occupationally and environmentally exposed to multiple pesticides from an early age. During the crop and off-season, respectively, they presented a prevalence of 40% and 30.7% for cough, 30.7% and 24% for nasal allergies, and 24% and 17.3% for chest tightness. Significant relations between spirometry impairments and exposure indicators were found both during the crop and off-season. These findings provide complementary evidence about the association of pesticide exposure with adverse respiratory effects among family farmers in Brazil. This situation requires special attention as it may increase the risk of pulmonary dysfunctions, and the morbidity and mortality burden associated with these diseases.

Keywords

pesticides; spirometry; respiratory symptoms; cholinesterase; rural workers; family farmers

Subject

Public Health and Healthcare, Public, Environmental and Occupational Health

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Download PDF

Comments (0)

We encourage comments and feedback from a broad range of readers. See criteria for comments and our Diversity statement.

Leave a public comment
Send a private comment to the author(s)
* All users must log in before leaving a comment
Views 0
Downloads 0
Comments 0
Metrics 0
Get PDF Cite Share 0
Bookmark BibSonomy Mendeley Reddit Delicious
×
Alerts
Notify me about updates to this article or when a peer-reviewed version is published.
We use cookies on our website to ensure you get the best experience.
Read more about our cookies here.