neurological effects of organophosphates

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Fri Mar 1,10:31 AM ET

> NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Sheep farmers in the UK with a

>specific gene defect appear to be

> more susceptible to being sickened by exposure to a pesticide

>used to maintain the health of their

> flocks, according to a new report.

> Experts have linked exposure to organophosphates--a main

>ingredient in pesticides used on

> sheep--with chronic fatigue, memory loss, aching limbs and

mood

>changes.

> In the study, Dr. Nicola Cherry and colleagues at the

University

>of Manchester, UK, found that some

> farmers had a genetic predisposition to organophosphate

>poisoning. The findings are published in the

> March 2nd issue of The Lancet.

> Cherry's team compared the genetic make-up of 175 farmers who

>reported poor health they believed

> came from sheep dip exposure and 234 farmers who also dipped

>sheep but reported being in good

> health.

> The sickly farmers were nearly twice as likely to have

>variations in a gene that regulates

> paraoxonase--an enzyme in blood that breaks down toxic

chemicals

>like the ones found in

> organophosphate pesticides. According to the investigators,

>sheep-dippers who produced less efficient

> toxin-fighting enzymes were more likely to report becoming

ill

>when exposed to the organophosphate

> pesticides.

> " The study was set up to test a clear hypothesis, that those

>whose genes produced a less efficient

> enzyme would, if exposed to organophosphates, be more

likely to

>become ill, " Cherry explained in a

> prepared statement from The Lancet.

> " The results provide support for those who believe that

repeated

>exposure to organophosphates may

> cause chronic ill health. Sheep dippers in the UK are one

>important group, but there are many others

> worldwide who are exposed to these chemicals and whose health

>may be affected as a result, " she

> added.

> Britain had instructed farmers to dip their sheep in

>organophosphate-based pesticides between 1976

> and 1992. Dipping is now an optional practice, but some have

>called for an outright ban.

> Organophosphate pesticides are still widely used in

Central and

>South America, particularly on fruit

> crops.

> SOURCE: The Lancet 2002;359:763-764.

>