Occupational pesticide exposures and respiratory health

• Published in: International journal of environmental research and public health Vol. 10; no. 12; pp. 6442 - 6471
• Main Authors: Ye, Ming, Beach, Jeremy, Martin, Jonathan W, Senthilselvan, Ambikaipakan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 28.11.2013; MDPI
• Subjects: Agriculture; Human exposure; Humans; Occupational Exposure; Occupational health; Occupational safety; Personal protective equipment; Pesticides; Pesticides - toxicity; Respiratory diseases; Respiratory System - drug effects; Respiratory Tract Diseases - chemically induced; Respiratory Tract Diseases - epidemiology; Respiratory Tract Diseases - prevention & control; Review
• ISSN: 1660-4601; 1661-7827; 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph10126442

Pesticides have been widely used to control pest and pest-related diseases in agriculture, fishery, forestry and the food industry. In this review, we identify a number of respiratory symptoms and diseases that have been associated with occupational pesticide exposures. Impaired lung function has also been observed among people occupationally exposed to pesticides. There was strong evidence for an association between occupational pesticide exposure and asthma, especially in agricultural occupations. In addition, we found suggestive evidence for a link between occupational pesticide exposure and chronic bronchitis or COPD. There was inconclusive evidence for the association between occupational pesticide exposure and lung cancer. Better control of pesticide uses and enforcement of safety behaviors, such as using personal protection equipment (PPE) in the workplace, are critical for reducing the risk of developing pesticide-related symptoms and diseases. Educational training programs focusing on basic safety precautions and proper uses of personal protection equipment (PPE) are possible interventions that could be used to control the respiratory diseases associated with pesticide exposure in occupational setting.