 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Larkin L Strong, MPH1, Beti Thompson, PhD2, Gloria Coronado, PhD2, and William Griffith, PhD1. (1) Department of Health Services, University of Washington, Box 357660, Seattle, WA 98195-7760, 206-324-4279, lstrong@u.washington.edu, (2) Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 1100 Fairview Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109
Exposure to pesticides among farmworkers is of growing public health concern due to the potential for adverse health effects and the difficulty in ensuring that proper safety practices are followed. We conducted an observational study of 213 farmworkers in Central Washington to assess the relationship between reported health symptoms and the presence of pesticide compounds in urine samples of farmworkers at risk of exposure to organophosphate (OP) pesticides. Survey items addressed agricultural tasks, general pesticide exposure, personal perceived health effects of pesticide exposure, health symptoms, and demographics.
The majority of respondents were male (66%), Hispanic (97%), had less than a 9th grade education (70%), and reported household incomes of less than $25,000 (90%). Four of the five pesticide compounds were detected in urine samples. Nearly one-quarter of respondents (24%) were pesticide handlers. The health symptoms most commonly reported by all respondents included headaches (50%), burning eyes (39%), pain in muscles, joints, or bones (35%), a rash or itchy skin (26%), blurred vision (24%), stomach ache (22%), and shortness of breath (22%). Few differences were found in reported health symptoms among workers with detectable levels of pesticide compounds and workers with undetectable levels. Surprisingly, a smaller percentage of pesticide handlers reported health symptoms compared to non-handlers; however, a significant difference was observed only for shortness of breath (10% vs. 25%, p=0.02). These preliminary findings suggest that pesticide exposure and health symptoms associated with pesticide exposure are common in this population. Multivariate analyses are in progress.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Pesticide Exposure, Occupational Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.