Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Micronuclei among Individuals from Three Colombian Mining Contexts Exposed to Pesticides and Chemical Element Mixtures

Marcela E Varona-Uribe
,
Sonia-Mireya Díaz
ORCID logo ,
Ruth-Marien Palma
,
Leonardo Briceño-Ayala
,
Carlos Trillos-Peña
,
Eliana Téllez
,
Lyda Espitia-Pérez
ORCID logo ,
Karina Pastor-Sierra
,
Pedro Espitia-Pérez
,
Alvaro J Idrovo
* ORCID logo
Version 1 : Received: 7 July 2023 / Approved: 10 July 2023 / Online: 10 July 2023 (10:40:46 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Varona-Uribe, M.E.; Díaz, S.M.; Palma, R.-M.; Briceño-Ayala, L.; Trillos-Peña, C.; Téllez-Avila, E.M.; Espitia-Pérez, L.; Pastor-Sierra, K.; Espitia-Pérez, P.J.; Idrovo, A.J. Micronuclei, Pesticides, and Element Mixtures in Mining Contexts: The Hormetic Effect of Selenium. Toxics 2023, 11, 821. Varona-Uribe, M.E.; Díaz, S.M.; Palma, R.-M.; Briceño-Ayala, L.; Trillos-Peña, C.; Téllez-Avila, E.M.; Espitia-Pérez, L.; Pastor-Sierra, K.; Espitia-Pérez, P.J.; Idrovo, A.J. Micronuclei, Pesticides, and Element Mixtures in Mining Contexts: The Hormetic Effect of Selenium. Toxics 2023, 11, 821.

Abstract

The contexts where there is mining and agriculture activities are potential sources of risk to human health due to contamination by chemical mixtures. This study explored the association between the frequency of micronuclei and pesticides in regions with ferronickel (Montelibano, Córdoba) and gold (Nechí, Antioquia) mining, and a closed native mercury mine (Aranzazu, Caldas). A cross-sectional study was carried out with 247 residents in the mining regions. Sociodemographic, occupational, and toxicological variables were ascertained. Blood and urine samples were taken for pesticide analysis (12 organochlorines, organophosphates, and carbamates), 68 chemical elements were quantified in hair, and micronuclei (MN) were quantified in lymphocytes. The mixtures of chemical elements were grouped through exploratory factor analysis. Prevalence ratios (PR) were estimated with robust variance Poisson regressions to explore associations. The highest concentrations of chemical elements were in the active mines. The potentially most toxic chemical mixture was observed in the ferronickel mine. Pesticides were detected in a low proportion of participants. The frequency of MN was similar in the three mining contexts. There was great heterogeneity in the exposure to pesticides and chemical elements. The “hormetic effect” of selenium is described, in which at low doses it acts as a chelator and at high doses it can enhance the toxic effects of other elements. It is proposed that future studies in mining contexts include the measurement of chemical mixtures to better assess exposure and potential adverse health effects.

Keywords

pesticides; mining; chemical mixtures; selenium; hormesis; genetic damage; Colombia.

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.

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