Biomonitoring of pesticides formulators: frequency of micronuclei, protein carbonyls, epidermal growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor

ABSTRACT

The frequency of micronucleus formation [FMN] in circulating lymphocytes, plasma basic fibroblast growth factor [bFGF], epidermal growth factors [EGF] and protein carbonyls [CP] was measured in the blood of 25 pesticide [fenvalerate and deltamethrin] manufacture exposed workers versus 20 controls. The pesticide workers showed an increase in the levels of the FMN [4.8 +/- 4 vs. 3 +/- 1.1%, t = 2.14], bFGF [6.3 +/- 4.9 vs. 1.9 +/- 1.36 ng/ml] and EGF [4.8 +/- 1.5 vs. 1.02 +/- 0.2 ng/ml] and PC [0.9 +/- 0.4 vs. 0.54 +/- 0.2]. It can be concluded that the occupational exposure to pyrethroid pesticides during formulation induces an oxidative stress that can consequently induce genotoxicity