Genotoxicity and Reproductive Risk in Workers Exposed to Pesticides in Rural Areas of Curicó, Chile: A Pilot Study.

Significant risks to human health have been associated with chronic exposure to low doses of pesticides, a situation which may be frequent among agricultural workers. In this context, and regarding the agricultural-based economy of central Chile, we aimed to explore the genotoxic damage in agricultural workers and reproductive risk among women in rural and urban areas of Curicó, a traditional agricultural district in Chile. Hence, we sampled a group of rural agricultural workers associated with pesticide management (n = 30) and an urban unexposed group (n = 30). Our results showed that the agricultural workers had higher micronuclei frequencies (MN: ß = 13.27; 95% CI low = 11.08, CI high = 15.47) and women had a 40-fold higher risk of reproductive problems (OR = 40.32; 95% CI low = 2.60, CI high = 624.31) than the unexposed group. The factor analysis of mixed data (FAMD) showed that neither the sex nor smoking habits appear to define the ordination of the data. Nevertheless, the exposure level did segregate them in the multidimensional space (explained variance: 35.38% dim-1; 18.63% dim-2). This pilot study highlights the higher risks of biological conditions negatively associated with the health of agricultural workers.

Cytogenetic damage in female Chilean agricultural workers exposed to mixtures of pesticides.

The VIII Region of Bio-Bio is a major fruit-growing area of Chile that makes intensive use of agricultural pesticides. The cytogenetic damage associated with exposure to mixtures of pesticides was evaluated by comparing peripheral blood lymphocyte micronucleus (MN) frequencies in a group of 64 female agricultural workers and 30 female controls. The exposed subjects worked during the spring and summer in thinning and pruning fruit trees and in harvesting and packing different fruits, such as raspberries, grapes, apples, and kiwis. They did not use any protective measures during their work activities. A significant increase in the frequency of binucleated cells with micronuclei (BNMN) was found in the exposed women as compared with the controls (36.94 +/- 14.47 vs. 9.93 +/- 6.17 BNMN/1000 BN cells; P < 0.001). The frequency of BNMN varied as a function of age in both the exposed and control groups, but no correlation was found between BNMN frequency and the duration of exposure. Also, smoking and other habits had no effect on MN frequency. Our study confirms that occupational exposure to pesticide mixtures results in cytogenetic damage.