title: Monitoring acetylcholinesterase levels in migrant agricultural workers and their children using a portable test kit.
abstract: The EQM Research, Inc., portable test kit was evaluated as a surveillance tool for blood cholinesterase levels among migrant workers and their children. Laboratory validation demonstrated a linear relationship between the reference Ellman and kit methods (Ellman = 0.95 x kit result + 0.82, r2 = 0.98). Pre- and post-season cholinesterase levels measured in 70 farm workers were within normal ranges, but significantly different at 28.5 and 29.7 U/g Hb, respectively (paired t-test, p = 0.014). Results from 98 migrant farm worker children and a comparison group of 53 age-matched non-agricultural children showed that cholinesterase levels were not significantly different between the agricultural and non-agricultural children (ANOVA, p = 0.69). These data demonstrate that a portable test kit can provide useful data pesticide exposures when measurements are made in a temperature-controlled setting.
authors.affiliation: Center for Research on Occupational and Environmental Toxicology, Oregon Health Science University, Portland 97201-3098, USA. higginsg@ohsu.edu
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Higgins
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Muñiz
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: McCauley
mesh_terms: D000110:Acetylcholinesterase / Q000097:blood*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000383:Agriculture; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007306:Insecticides / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009943:Organophosphorus Compounds; D014171:Transients and Migrants
chemical_list: D007306:Insecticides; D009943:Organophosphorus Compounds; D000110:Acetylcholinesterase