Journal article
Occupational pesticide exposure and symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in adolescent pesticide applicators in Egypt
Neurotoxicology (Park Forest South), Vol.74, pp.1-6
09/2019
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2019.05.002
PMCID: PMC6751012
PMID: 31077682
Abstract
Exposure dependent increase in the number of parental reported ADHD symptoms in adolescent pesticide applicators by quartile of the average of participants’ TCPy levels. Errors bars represent one standard error.
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•Pesticide exposure is associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).•Adolescent pesticide applicators had more symptoms of ADHD than non-applicators.•Biomarkers were associated with increased symptoms, showing a dose-response effect.•Need to investigate the susceptibility of adolescents to occupational pesticide exposure.
Exposure to environmental chemicals, including organophosphorus pesticides, is associated with behavioral disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, the impact of occupational pesticide exposure on ADHD development in adolescents has not been examined.
We examined the association between exposure to chlorpyrifos and ADHD symptoms among adolescents in Egypt.
Adolescent pesticide applicators and non-applicators, 12–21 years old, participated in a 10-month longitudinal study examining health effects from pesticide exposure. Repeated urine and blood samples were collected at various time points during the 10-months to assess biomarkers of chlorpyrifos exposure (urinary trichloro-2-pyridinol or TCPy) and effect (blood acetyl cholinesterase activity and butyryl cholinesterase activity). Parents from a subset of the cohort (N = 64) completed the Short Form of Conners’ Parent Rating Scale – Revised. Poisson regressions were used to examine the associations between the number of ADHD symptoms and occupation and biomarkers.
Pesticide applicators had significantly more symptoms of ADHD than participants in the non-applicator group. Urinary TCPy levels were associated with increased symptoms, demonstrating a dose-response effect. Applicators with ADHD reported applying pesticides for more hours during the application season and had greater cumulative TCPy levels than participants without ADHD. One fourth of all applicators met the criteria for an ADHD diagnosis (having 6 or more reported symptoms).
This study provides preliminary evidence of an association between occupational exposure to chlorpyrifos and ADHD symptoms among adolescent pesticide applicators in spite of its limited small sample size. There is a critical need to investigate the susceptibility of children and adolescents to repeated occupational and environmental exposures to pesticides because the developing brain may be uniquely sensitive to the neurotoxic effects of these agents.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Occupational pesticide exposure and symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in adolescent pesticide applicators in Egypt
- Creators
- Diane S Rohlman - Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USAAhmed Ismail - Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USAMatthew R Bonner - Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, State University of New York Buffalo, NY, USAGaafar Abdel Rasoul - Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Shebin El-Kom, EgyptOlfat Hendy - National Liver Institute, Menoufia University, Shebin El-Kom, EgyptLizette Ortega Dickey - Biostatistics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USAKai Wang - Biostatistics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USAJames R Olson - Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, State University of New York Buffalo, NY, USA
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Neurotoxicology (Park Forest South), Vol.74, pp.1-6
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.neuro.2019.05.002
- PMID
- 31077682
- PMCID
- PMC6751012
- NLM abbreviation
- Neurotoxicology
- ISSN
- 0161-813X
- eISSN
- 1872-9711
- Publisher
- Elsevier B.V
- Grant note
- name: Fogarty International Center and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, award: R21 ES017223, R01 ES022163; DOI: 10.13039/100000066, name: the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, award: NIH P30 ES005605
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 09/2019
- Academic Unit
- Occupational and Environmental Health; International Programs; Biostatistics; Injury Prevention Research Center
- Record Identifier
- 9983997363402771
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