title: Health symptoms and exposure to organophosphate pesticides in farmworkers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Few studies have examined the relationship between reported health symptoms and exposure to organophosphate (OP) pesticides.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fisher's exact test was used to assess the relationship between self-reported health symptoms and indicators of exposure to OP pesticides in 211 farmworkers in Eastern Washington.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The health symptoms most commonly reported included headaches (50%), burning eyes (39%), pain in muscles, joints, or bones (35%), a rash or itchy skin (25%), and blurred vision (23%). Exposure to pesticides was prevalent. The proportion of detectable samples of various pesticide residues in house and vehicle dust was weakly associated with reporting certain health symptoms, particularly burning eyes and shortness of breath. No significant associations were found between reporting health symptoms and the proportion of detectable urinary pesticide metabolites.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Certain self-reported health symptoms in farmworkers may be associated with indicators of exposure to pesticides. Longitudinal studies with more precise health symptom data are needed to explore this relationship further.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Services, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98109, USA. Lstrong@u.washington.edu
authors.forename: Larkin L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Strong
authors.forename: Beti
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: Gloria D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Coronado
authors.forename: William C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Griffith
authors.forename: Eric M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Vigoren
authors.forename: Ilda
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Islas
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000382:Agricultural Workers' Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D062665:Epidemiological Monitoring; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects; D010755:Organophosphates / Q000652:urine*; D010573:Pesticide Residues / Q000652:urine*; D011336:Probability; D011379:Prognosis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D010755:Organophosphates; D010573:Pesticide Residues