Urinary Pesticide Levels in Children and Adolescents Residing in Two Agricultural Communities in Mexico

Erick Sierra-Diaz, Alfredo de Jesus Celis-de la Rosa, Felipe Lozano-Kasten, Leonardo Trasande, Alejandro Aarón Peregrina-Lucano, Elena Sandoval-Pinto and Humberto Gonzalez-Chavez
Additional contact information
Erick Sierra-Diaz: Public Health Department, University of Guadalajara, Sierra Mojada 950, Guadalajara, Jalisco CP 44340, Mexico
Alfredo de Jesus Celis-de la Rosa: Public Health Department, University of Guadalajara, Sierra Mojada 950, Guadalajara, Jalisco CP 44340, Mexico
Felipe Lozano-Kasten: Public Health Department, University of Guadalajara, Sierra Mojada 950, Guadalajara, Jalisco CP 44340, Mexico
Leonardo Trasande: Departments of Pediatrics, Environmental Medicine, and Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
Alejandro Aarón Peregrina-Lucano: Public Health Department, University of Guadalajara, Sierra Mojada 950, Guadalajara, Jalisco CP 44340, Mexico
Elena Sandoval-Pinto: Public Health Department, University of Guadalajara, Sierra Mojada 950, Guadalajara, Jalisco CP 44340, Mexico
Humberto Gonzalez-Chavez: CIESAS Occidente Conacyt, Av. España 1359, Guadalajara, Jalisco CP 44190, Mexico

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 4, 1-8

Abstract: The use of pesticides in agricultural activities has increased significantly during the last decades. Several studies have reported the health damage that results from exposure to pesticides. In Mexico, hundreds of communities depend economically on agricultural activities. The participation of minors in this type of activity and their exposure to pesticides represents a potential public health problem. A cross-sectional study was conducted, in which urine samples (first-morning urine) were taken from children under 15 years of age in both communities. A total of 281 urine samples obtained in both communities were processed for the determination of pesticides with high-performance liquid chromatography together with tandem mass spectrometry. In 100% of the samples, at least two pesticides of the 17 reported in the total samples were detected. The presence of malathion, metoxuron, and glyphosate was remarkable in more than 70% of the cases. Substantial differences were detected regarding the other compounds. It is necessary to carry out long-term studies to determine the damage to health resulting from this constant exposure and to inform the health authorities about the problem in order to implement preventive measures.

Keywords: pesticide levels; children; adolescents; agricultural activities; body fluid; exposure (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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