title: Exposure to heavy metals due to pesticide use by vineyard farmers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To statistically analyze serum heavy metal levels in biological samples obtained from vineyard workers from southern Brazil and check for heavy metal exposure due to pesticide use.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum samples were obtained from 54 farmers and 108 healthy unexposed individuals. Samples from the same farmers were obtained at three different time points over a 1-year period. Levels of lead, arsenic, nickel, zinc, manganese and copper were determined for each sample using dynamic reaction cell inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (DRC-ICP-MS). All results were statistically analyzed using the nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis test (followed by Dunn's post hoc test).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results showed that serum heavy metal levels in farmers were twofold to fourfold higher than in controls. This difference was found for all heavy metals tested and was significant (p < 0.05). Serum metal levels among the farmers also correlated with the frequency of use of pesticides at a specific time of year, which varied according to seasonal conditions influencing the need for pesticide application.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It can be concluded that in the vineyard region assessed, farmers were more susceptible to heavy metal exposure due to pesticide use.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Toxicologia, Departamento de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil.
authors.forename: Gustavo Henrique Oliveira
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Toxicologia, Departamento de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil.
authors.forename: Renata Sano
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Lini
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Toxicologia e Essencialidade de Metais, Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Toxicológicas e Bromatológicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto-USP, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Barbosa
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Toxicologia e Essencialidade de Metais, Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Toxicológicas e Bromatológicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto-USP, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.|Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas, Universidade Federal do ABC, Santo André, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Bruno Lemos
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Batista
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Toxicologia e Essencialidade de Metais, Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Toxicológicas e Bromatológicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto-USP, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Vanessa Cristina
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: de Oliveira Souza
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Toxicologia, Departamento de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil.
authors.forename: Samuel Botião
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Nerilo
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Toxicologia, Departamento de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil.
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bando
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Toxicologia, Departamento de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil.
authors.forename: Simone Aparecida Galerani
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Mossini
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Toxicologia, Departamento de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil. pnishiyama@uem.br.
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nishiyama
mesh_terms: D001151:Arsenic / Q000097:blood; D001938:Brazil; D003300:Copper / Q000097:blood; D000069599:Crop Production; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D000067565:Farmers; D006801:Humans; D007854:Lead / Q000097:blood; D008345:Manganese / Q000097:blood; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000097:blood*; D009532:Nickel / Q000097:blood; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D010575:Pesticides / Q000633:toxicity*; D012621:Seasons; D027843:Vitis; D015032:Zinc / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D019216:Metals, Heavy; D010575:Pesticides; D007854:Lead; D008345:Manganese; D003300:Copper; D009532:Nickel; D015032:Zinc; D001151:Arsenic
keywords: Heavy metals; Occupational exposure; Pesticides; Viticulture