Chronic pesticide exposure: Health effects among pesticide sprayers in Southern India.
BACKGROUND
Occupational health has never been a priority for policy makers in India, despite 63% of the Indian population being in the economically productive age group.


OBJECTIVE
The study was designed to find out the morbidity as a result of long-term exposure to pesticides among professional pesticide sprayers in a rural block in Tamil Nadu.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study was done in Kaniyambadi block of Vellore district, Tamil Nadu, during July to October 2013. A total of 70 professional pesticide sprayers and 66 people engaged in other occupations were enrolled into the study. The participants were administered a standardized questionnaire apart from measuring pulmonary function and peripheral sensations. Venous blood samples were collected for measuring serum cholinesterase.


RESULTS
The pesticide sprayers had higher prevalence of breathlessness on activities of daily living (odds ratio [OR]: 3.14, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.22-8.07), chronic cough/phlegm (OR: 3.53, 95% CI: 1.09-11.46), symptoms of peripheral sensory neuropathy (OR: 6.66, 95% CI: 2.53-17.51) and recurrent abdominal pain (OR: 3.05, 95% CI: 1.03-9.01), when compared to people engaged in other occupations. Pesticide sprayers also had significantly lower mean peak expiratory low rates and poor peripheral sensations. The serum cholinesterase levels were not statistically different between the groups.


CONCLUSIONS
The pesticide sprayers had a higher morbidity when compared to people engaged in other occupations, and further research is needed to find out methods to prevent the same. Serum cholinesterase may not be a good marker for quantifying exposure to pesticide among sprayers, during a spraying season.
Department of Community Health, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.
Philip
P
Mathew
Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.
Arun
A
Jose
Department of Accident and Emergency Medicine, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.
Reginald George
RG
Alex
Department of Community Health, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.
Venkata Raghava
VR
Mohan
Cholinesterase; exposure; pesticides; sprayers; toxicity