title: Pesticide exposures and respiratory health in general populations.
abstract: Human exposures to pesticides can occur in the workplace, in the household and through the ambient environment. While several articles have reviewed the impact of pesticide exposures on human respiratory health in occupational settings, to the best of our knowledge, this article is the first one to review published studies on the association between pesticide exposures and human respiratory health in the general populations. In this article, we critically reviewed evidences up to date studying the associations between non-occupational pesticide exposures and respiratory health in general populations. This article also highlighted questions arising from these studies, including our recent analyses using the data from the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS), for future research. We found few studies have addressed the impact of environmental pesticide exposures on respiratory health, especially on lung function, in general populations. In the studies using the data from CHMS Cycle 1, exposures to OP insecticides, pyrethroid insecticides, and the organochlorine pesticide DDT were associated with impaired lung function in the Canadian general population, but no significant associations were observed for the herbicide 2,4-D. Future research should focus on the potential age-specific and pesticide-specific effect on respiratory health in the general population, and repeated longitudinal study design is critical for assessing the temporal variations in pesticide exposures. Research findings from current studies of non-occupational pesticide exposures and their health impact in general population will help to improve the role of regulatory policies in mitigating pesticide-related public health problems, and thereafter providing greater benefit to the general population.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 1C9, Canada.. Electronic address: mye@ualberta.ca.
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 1C9, Canada.; Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2T4, Canada.
authors.forename: Jeremy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Beach
authors.affiliation: Division of Analytical and Environmental Toxicology, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G3, Canada.
authors.forename: Jonathan W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 1C9, Canada.
authors.forename: Ambikaipakan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Senthilselvan
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D015386:Hazardous Substances / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D019570:Inhalation Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010575:Pesticides / Q000032:analysis*; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*
chemical_list: D015386:Hazardous Substances; D010575:Pesticides
keywords: Canadian Health Measures Survey; Environmental; General population; Pesticides; Respiratory health