Chronic nervous-system effects of long-term occupational exposure to DDT.
Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) is a compound with moderate toxicity that is judged to be safe for occupational use, although little is known about its long-term effects on the human nervous system. We investigated chronic nervous-system effects of long-term occupational exposure to DDT by comparing the neurobehavioural performance of retired malaria-control workers with a reference group of retired guards and drivers. DDT-exposed workers did worse on tests assessing various neurobehavioural functions than controls; performance significantly deteriorated with increasing years of DDT application. Our results could not be explained by exposure to cholinesterase-inhibiting pesticides or other potential confounding factors.
van Wendel de Joode
B
B
Wesseling
C
C
Kromhout
H
H
Monge
P
P
García
M
M
Mergler
D
D
D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002493:Central Nervous System Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology; D003364:Costa Rica / Q000453:epidemiology; D003634:DDT / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013997:Time Factors
D003634:DDT