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Evaluating How Occupational Exposure to Organophosphates and Pyrethroids Impacts ADHD Severity in Egyptian Male Adolescents
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Evaluating How Occupational Exposure to Organophosphates and Pyrethroids Impacts ADHD Severity in Egyptian Male Adolescents

Hana-May Eadeh, Jonathan Davis, Ahmed A Ismail, Gaafar M Abdel Rasoul, Olfat M Hendy, James R Olson, Matthew R Bonner and Diane Rohlman
Neurotoxicology (Park Forest South), Vol.95, pp.75-82
01/05/2023
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2023.01.001
PMCID: PMC10010376
PMID: 36621468
url
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10010376/pdf/nihms-1866052.pdfView
Open Access

Abstract

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in attention and hyperactivity/impulsivity that cause impairments to daily living. An area of long-standing concern is understanding links between environmental toxicants, including pesticides, and the development or worsening of ADHD. The present study evaluated associations between occupational pesticide exposure, specifically organophosphate (OP) pesticides, chlorpyrifos (CPF) and the pyrethroids (PYR) alpha-cypermethrin (αCM) and lambda-cyhalothrin (λCH), and symptoms of ADHD in a longitudinal study among Egyptian adolescent males. Participants (N = 226, mean age = 17) were Egyptian adolescent males who either applied pesticides or were non-applicators. Urinary trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCPy) was measured as a specific metabolite biomarker of exposure to chlorpyrifos. Urinary 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA) was measured as a general metabolite biomarker of exposure to pyrethroids, while urinary cis-3-(2,2- dichlorovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane carboxylic acid (cis-DCCA) was measured as a specific biomarker of exposure to αCM and lambda cyhalothric acid (λCH acid) measured as a specific biomarker of exposure to λCH. Ordinal logistic regression models controlling for age were used to determine the likelihood of ADHD development (measured via parent-reported ADHD symptoms) as the level of biomarkers of pesticide exposure increased. Cis-DCCA was the only biomarker associated with higher likelihood ADHD symptoms (> 0.60 vs. 0-0.17μg/g creatinine; OR = 2.82, 95% CI: 1.29-6.14). All participants reported clinical levels of ADHD symptoms when compared to national norms used in the United States. TCPy, trans-DCCA and LC acid were not associated with risk of ADHD symptoms after controlling for levels of cis-DCCA. No other metabolites were associated with the number of ADHD symptoms. There were no interaction effects found for exposure to both OPs and Pyrethroids. The results suggest that exposure to the pyrethroid αCM is associated with more ADHD symptoms. Methodological and cultural considerations in need of further study are discussed.
Pesticides occupational exposure odds ratios Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder

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