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RE: Lasting effects of insecticides exposure

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Thanks much for this , this strikes me as the kind of work that

can be extrapolated to farmworkers on the basis of comparable exposure

levels to accepted application methods rather than acute exposure.

Lighthall, Ph.D.

Research Director

Relational Culture Institute

3485 W. Shaw, Suite 103

Fresno, CA 93711

530 304-0038 mobile

559 276-2304 office

559 276-2304 fax

david@...

-----Original Message-----

From:

[mailto: ] On Behalf Of

Sent: Friday, April 29, 2005 5:41 AM

fjftalk@...; migrant_health_news ;

Subject: [ ] Lasting effects of insecticides

exposure

Hi all,

Below is an excerpt from an upcoming article from the Agricultural

Health Study to be published in Environmental Health Perspectives (which

is free online).

USE OF INSECTICIDES LINKED TO LASTING NEUROLOGICAL PROBLEMS FOR FARMERS

New research shows that farmers who used agricultural insecticides

experienced increased neurological symptoms, even when they were no

longer using the products. Data from 18,782 North Carolina and Iowa

farmers linked use of insecticides, including organophosphates and

organochlorines, to reports of reoccurring headaches, fatigue, insomnia,

dizziness, nausea, hand tremors, numbness and other neurological

symptoms. Some of the insecticides addressed by the study are still on

the market, but some,

including DDT, have been banned or restricted.

These findings will be available online in April, and published in the

June issue of " Environmental Health Perspectives " . The research is part

of the

ongoing Agricultural Health Study funded by the National Institute of

Environmental Health Sciences and the National Cancer Institute, two of

the National Institutes of Health, and the Environmental Protection

Agency.

" This research is really important because it evaluated the health

effects of agricultural chemicals as they were commonly used by farmers.

It's

different from previous studies that focused on pesticide poisoning or

high dose exposures, for example when large amounts of a chemical were

accidentally spilled on the skin, " said Freya Kamel, Ph.D., a researcher

for the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).

The NIEHS researchers examined questionnaires completed by farmers on

lifetime exposure to herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, and

fumigants, and their history of 23 neurological symptoms. Those who

reported experiencing more than 10 symptoms during the year prior to

completing a study questionnaire were classified as having high levels

of symptoms.

Researchers found that nearly 3,000 participants had a high lifetime

exposure to insecticides -- that is, they used insecticides more than

500 days in their lifetime. Nearly 800 of these farmers reported more

than 10 neurological symptoms compared to those using insecticides fewer

than 50 days. The researchers found no significant association between

neurological symptoms and other chemicals, including herbicides or

fungicides, and only a weak association between fumigant exposure and

neurological symptoms.

Some of the insecticides used by the licensed farmers over the past 25

years are no longer available commercially. DDT, a well known example of

an organochlorine, has been banned for use in the US since 1972.

Organophosphates, such as malathion, chlorypyrifos, and diazinon, have

been banned or restricted for home and garden use in the US. However,

some of the pesticides examined, including carbaryl and some

pyrethroids, are available to home gardeners, although in different

formulations and in lower concentrations, which may make them less

hazardous.

" Because the participants in this study are telling us they have never

been previously diagnosed with pesticide poisoning or medically treated

for any

exposure to any pesticide, we are led to conclude that their symptoms

are related to moderate lifetime exposure, " said Dr. Kamel.

" Most studies of this issue have sample sizes ranging from 50 to 100

participants, making it hard to understand the detailed relationship

between exposure and health effects. The large size of this study gives

it great statistical power, " said Dr. Kamel.

The AHS (http://www.aghealth.org/) is designed to investigate the

effects of environmental, occupational, dietary, and genetic factors on

the health of the agricultural population. The study will provide

information that agricultural workers can use in making decisions about

their health and the health of their families.

NIEHS looks at factors in the environment that may be harmful to human

health. More information about NIEHS and the Agricultural Health Study

can be found at http://www.niehs.nih.gov.

##

This NIH News Release is available online at:

http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/apr2005/niehs-28.htm.

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