Environmental Health Perspectives (2006) 114:691-696
Joan Rothlein, Diane Rohlman, Michael Lasarev, Jackie Phillips, Juan Muniz, and Linda McCauley
- Measured dialkyl phosphate urinary metabolite levels, collected environmental dust samples from a subset of homes, obtained information on work practices, and conducted neurobehavioral tests on a sample of farmworkers in Oregon.
- Significant correlations between urinary methyl metabolite levels and total methyl organophosphate (azinphos-methyl, phosmet, malathion) house dust levels were observed.
- Neurobehavioral performance of Hispanic immigrant farmworkers was lower than that observed in a nonagricultural Hispanic immigrant population.
- Among agricultural workers there was a positive correlation between urinary organophosphate metabolite levels and poorer performance on some neurobehavioral tests.
Neurologic Function among Termiticide Applicators Exposed to Chlorpyrifos
Environmental Health Perspectives 108:293-300
Kyle Steenland, Robert B. Dick1 Ronald J. Howell, David W. Chrislip, Cynthia J. Hines, Thomas M. Reid, Everett Lehman, Patty Laber, Edward F. Krieg, Jr., and Charles Knott
- The authors studied neurologic function in 191 current and former termiticide applicators who had an average of 2.4 years applying chlorpyrifos and 2.5 years applying other pesticides, and compared them to 189 nonexposed controls.
- The exposed group did not perform as well as the nonexposed group in pegboard turning tests and some postural sway tests. The exposed subjects also reported significantly more symptoms, including memory problems, emotional states, fatigue, and loss of muscle strength
- Eight men who reported past chlorpyrifos poisoning had a pattern of low performance on a number of tests, which is consistent with prior reports of chronic effects of organophosphate poisoning.
