title: Environmental exposure and effects on health of children from a tobacco-producing region.
abstract: Children may be environmentally exposed to several hazards. In order to evaluate the health of children living in a tobacco-producing region, different biomarkers of exposure and effect, as well as hematological parameters, were evaluated. Biomarkers of exposure to the following xenobiotics were assessed: pesticides, nicotine, toxic elements, and organic solvents. Oxidative damage markers malondialdehyde (MDA) and protein carbonyls (PCO), vitamin C, microalbuminuria (mALB) levels, and N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) activity were also evaluated. Peripheral blood samples and urine were collected from 40 children (6-12 years), at two different crop periods: in the beginning of pesticide applications (period 1) and in the leaf harvest (period 2). The Wilcoxon signed-rank test for paired data was used to evaluate the differences between both periods. Biomarkers of exposure cotinine in urine and blood chromium (Cr) levels were increased in period 1 when compared to period 2. Moreover, a significant reduced plasmatic activity of butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) was observed in period 2 in relation to period 1. Blood Cr levels were above the recommended by WHO in both evaluations. The biomarkers MDA and PCO as well as the kidney dysfunction biomarker, mALB, presented levels significantly increased in period 1. Additionally, decreased lymphocytes and increased basophils were also observed. Cotinine was positively associated with PCO, and Cr was positively associated with PCO and MDA. The increased Cr levels were associated with decreased lymphocytes and increased basophils. Our findings demonstrate that children environmentally exposed to xenobiotics in rural area may present early kidney dysfunction, hematological alterations, as well as lipid and protein damages, associated with co-exposure to different xenobiotics involved in tobacco cultivation.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Toxicology (LATOX), Department of Analyses, Faculty of Pharmacy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Avenida Ipiranga 2752, Santa Cecília, Porto Alegre, RS, CEP: 90610-000, Brazil.|Post-Graduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Sabrina N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Nascimento
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Toxicology (LATOX), Department of Analyses, Faculty of Pharmacy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Avenida Ipiranga 2752, Santa Cecília, Porto Alegre, RS, CEP: 90610-000, Brazil.|Post-Graduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Gabriela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Göethel
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Toxicology (LATOX), Department of Analyses, Faculty of Pharmacy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Avenida Ipiranga 2752, Santa Cecília, Porto Alegre, RS, CEP: 90610-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marília
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baierle
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Toxicology (LATOX), Department of Analyses, Faculty of Pharmacy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Avenida Ipiranga 2752, Santa Cecília, Porto Alegre, RS, CEP: 90610-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Anelise
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barth
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Toxicology (LATOX), Department of Analyses, Faculty of Pharmacy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Avenida Ipiranga 2752, Santa Cecília, Porto Alegre, RS, CEP: 90610-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Natália
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Brucker
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Toxicology (LATOX), Department of Analyses, Faculty of Pharmacy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Avenida Ipiranga 2752, Santa Cecília, Porto Alegre, RS, CEP: 90610-000, Brazil.|Institute of Health Sciences, Feevale University, Novo Hamburgo, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Mariele F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Charão
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Toxicology (LATOX), Department of Analyses, Faculty of Pharmacy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Avenida Ipiranga 2752, Santa Cecília, Porto Alegre, RS, CEP: 90610-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Angela M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Moro
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Toxicology (LATOX), Department of Analyses, Faculty of Pharmacy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Avenida Ipiranga 2752, Santa Cecília, Porto Alegre, RS, CEP: 90610-000, Brazil.|Post-Graduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Bruna
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gauer
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Toxicology (LATOX), Department of Analyses, Faculty of Pharmacy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Avenida Ipiranga 2752, Santa Cecília, Porto Alegre, RS, CEP: 90610-000, Brazil.|Post-Graduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sauer
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Toxicology (LATOX), Department of Analyses, Faculty of Pharmacy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Avenida Ipiranga 2752, Santa Cecília, Porto Alegre, RS, CEP: 90610-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Juliano
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Durgante
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Toxicology (LATOX), Department of Analyses, Faculty of Pharmacy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Avenida Ipiranga 2752, Santa Cecília, Porto Alegre, RS, CEP: 90610-000, Brazil.|Post-Graduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcelo D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Arbo
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Flavia V
authors.initials: FV
authors.lastname: Thiesen
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Tatiana D Saint'
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Pierre
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gioda
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Clinical Biochemistry, Department of Clinical and Toxicological Analyses, Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM), Santa Maria, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Moresco
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Toxicology (LATOX), Department of Analyses, Faculty of Pharmacy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Avenida Ipiranga 2752, Santa Cecília, Porto Alegre, RS, CEP: 90610-000, Brazil. solange.garcia@ufrgs.br.|Post-Graduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. solange.garcia@ufrgs.br.
authors.forename: Solange Cristina
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Garcia
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D002091:Butyrylcholinesterase; D002648:Child; D002857:Chromium / Q000097:blood; D003367:Cotinine / Q000652:urine; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007674:Kidney Diseases; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000652:urine; D009538:Nicotine / Q000032:analysis; D010575:Pesticides / Q000633:toxicity; D012424:Rural Population; D014026:Nicotiana
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D010575:Pesticides; D002857:Chromium; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D009538:Nicotine; D002091:Butyrylcholinesterase; D003367:Cotinine
keywords: Children; Chromium; Environmental health; Hematological alterations; Microalbuminuria; Oxidative damage; Tobacco