Rocío Hojas, José Norambuena, América Ponce, Joaquín Toro, Bárbara Figueroa, Jandy Adonis, Cristian Valdés, Benjamín Castillo, Liliana Zúñiga, Boris Lucero, Natalia Landeros, Cynthia Carrasco, Juan Pablo Gutiérrez, Ramón Castillo, Catalina Saavedra, Patricio Yáñez, María Ignacia Valdés, María Victoria Rodríguez, Andrés Canales-Johnson,

Abstract

Background: Environmental exposure to pesticides has been linked to adverse mental and cognitive outcomes. Rural zones in Chile’s Maule Region face chronic exposure to agrochemicals due to overlapping agricultural, forestry, and industrial activities. Objective: To examine associations between pesticide residues in environmental matrices and adult mental health and neurocognitive indicators in rural communities. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 95 adults residing within 10 km of agricultural and agro-industrial sources in San Javier and Cauquenes. Soil, water, and fly samples were analyzed via GC-MS/MS for organophosphates and pyrethroids. Mental health and cognitive functioning were assessed using CES-D, STAI, GHQ-12, SF-12, MMSE, and IFS. Robust multivariate regressions (Huber-IRLS) and Spearman correlations were used to assess associations, adjusting for confounders. Results: Chlorpyrifos in water exceeded WHO limits (max: 61.6 µg/L vs. 30 µg/L); diazinon reached 4.58 µg/L (WHO limit: 0.1 µg/L). Multivariate models showed that cypermethrin in water was significantly associated with higher depressive symptoms (CES-D; β = 0.90, p = 0.008), and chlorpyrifos in water was inversely associated with quality of life (SF-12; β = –0.21, p = 0.002). Cypermethrin in soil was linked to poorer executive function (IFS; β = –4.94, p = 0.003). Spearman correlations confirmed spatial associations: chlorpyrifos levels were higher near vineyards (ρ = –0.43), and cypermethrin near forestry zones (ρ = –0.35). A high proportion of participants reported strong odor nuisance (85%) and rated it unacceptable (90%). Conclusions: Simultaneous environmental exposure to organophosphate and pyrethroid pesticides is significantly associated with mental health deterioration and cognitive impairment in rural populations. These findings call for integrated environmental and public health interventions, especially in underserved agricultural regions.

Richard Remigio, Rashmi Sinha, Patricia Erickson, Vicky C. Chang, Stella Koutros, Jay H. Lubin, Paul S. Albert, Dazhe Chen Won Jin Lee, Christine G. Parks, Dale P. Sandler, Jonathan N. Hofmann, Gabriella Andreotti

Abstract

Objectives: Colon cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide. Besides diet and other lifestyle factors, there are few known etiologic agents. Some studies have suggested links with pesticide exposure, although data are limited on specific chemicals. In addition, recent trends suggest that early onset colon cancer incidence is increasing. We investigated associations between use of individual pesticides and incident colon cancer in the Agricultural Health Study cohort, a prospective study of licensed pesticide applicators in Iowa and North Carolina, USA. Materials and Methods: Among 54,342 male pesticide applicators there were 752 colon cancer cases, including 43 diagnosed prior to age 50, identified through cancer registry linkages between enrollment (1993-1997) and 2021. We calculated rate ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using Poisson regression adjusting for potential confounders to evaluate associations with individual pesticides overall and by age at diagnosis. Results: Compared to never users, we observed elevated overall colon cancer risk among the highest lifetime users of the herbicides EPTC (RRQ5=1.67, 95%CI 1.13-2.48, ptrend=0.03) and chlorimuron ethyl (RRQuintile5=1.88, 95%CI=1.19-2.96, ptrend=0.003), with no differences by age at diagnosis. We observed increased risks of early onset colon cancer for ever use of the insecticides fonofos (RRever=1.98, 95%CI 1.00-3.90) and aldicarb (RRever=3.90, 95%CI 1.69-9.01), and the fungicide chlorothalonil (RRever=2.62, 95%CI 1.06-6.50), although no associations were observed with overall colon cancer for these pesticides. Results were similar when adjusting for correlated pesticides. Conclusions: In this prospective evaluation, we found evidence of associations between several pesticides and colon cancer. We also found that for some pesticides, elevated risks were only observed for colon cancer diagnosed before age 50. While based on a relatively small number of early onset cases, age-specific associations are intriguing and suggest the need for further study to elucidate potential differences in etiological factors and possible underlying mechanisms.

Hannah Wey, Samuel Fuhrimann

Abstract

Background & Objective Agriculture is one of the most hazardous industries worldwide. In the FarmCo South Africa study, we aimed to prioritize occupational hazards (biological, chemical, ergonomic, physical, environmental, psychosocial) encountered by wine grape farm workers in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. Methods First, 29 of 122 contacted stakeholders (24 %) participated in our online Delphi survey, rating 61 occupational hazards for likelihood and severity on a 5-point Likert scale. The 25 hazards with the highest risk scores (likelihood × severity) were then presented to 238 farm workers, who reported how often they had experienced each hazard in the past 12 months (5-point Likert scale). Results Stakeholders identified the most frequently occurring hazards as “working in the sun”, “contact with a pesticide”, and “prolonged bending”, with likelihood ratings of (Mean ± SD) 4.5 ± 0.69, 4.1 ± 0.9 and 4.1 ± 0.8, respectively. The highest risks were associated with “working in the sun” (15.9 ± 4.7), “contact with a pesticide” (15.2 ± 5.1), and “vehicle-related accidents” (14.0 ± 4.5). Farm workers (72% seasonally employed) confirmed having worked in the heat (76%) or in the cold (60%) at least once in the past year. Additionally, 46% reported having experienced “repetitive movements” and 42% having experienced “prolonged bending” during the same period. Furthermore, 21% of workers came into contact with pesticides at least once. Conclusion Stakeholders accurately judged “working in the sun” as a major occupational hazard but appear to overestimate the risk of pesticide exposure and vehicle-related accidents as the latter two are not reported to be likely by workers. Reports from farm workers confirmed frequent exposure to environmental conditions such as heat and cold, as well as ergonomic hazards like prolonged bending and repetitive movements. Further research in preventive measures should therefore consider prioritizing environmental exposures and ergonomic hazards. Collaboration and funding: FarmCo South Africa is conducted by the Swiss Tropical and Public Health institute in collaboration with University of Cape Town. Funding is provided by the Swiss National Science Foundation Starting Grant.