Pesticide Poisoning Symptoms and Other Health Issues

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Pesticide Poisoning Symptoms and Other Health
Issues

• Joanne Kick-Raack
• State Coordinator, Pesticide Education Programs
• The Ohio State University Extension

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Objectives

• Briefly review acute and chronic effects
• Highlight some common pesticides and their
  effects on health
• Share early results of National Agricultural
  Health Study
• Answer your questions/concerns

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Acute or Chronic?

• Acute Effects
• Immediate poisoning or harm
• Based on LD50 values
• Most sensitive route determines Signal Word

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Acute or Chronic Effects?

• Chronic Effects
• Long-term effects from small doses over time
• Not necessarily on label
• Some information on MSDS

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Chronic Effects

• Carcinogenicity-cancer
• Mutagenicity-genetic changes
• Teratogenicity- birth defects
• Oncogenicity-tumor growth (not necessarily
  cancers)
• Liver damage
• Reproductive disorders-sperm count, sterility,
  miscarriage
• Nerve damage
• Allergenic sensitization

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Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)

• Provides information on chronic toxicity
• Refers to the concentrate rather than dilute
  product

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Pesticides and Health Effects

• Insecticides
• Fungicides
• Herbicides

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Organophosphates and Carbamates

• Examples Lorsban, Diazinon, Sevin, Malathion,
  Furadan and many others
• Cause of most acute pesticide poisonings
• Inhibit cholinesterase, affect the nervous system
• Effect is reversible
• Monitor with blood tests

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Signs and Sypmtoms of Cholinesterase Inhibition

• Affects the nervous system
• Can be confused with flu, or heat exhaustion
• Mild poisoning symptoms
• Headache, fatigue, dizziness, loss of appetite,
  nausea, cramps, diarrhea
• Blurred vision, excessive tearing, contracted
  pupils
• Excessive sweating and salivation (this is not
  true for heat stress)
• Slowed heartbeat

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Cholinesterase contd

• Moderately severe
• Unable to walk
• Chest discomfort and tightness
• Pinpoint pupils
• Muscle twitching
• Involuntary urination and bowel movement
• Severe
• Seizures, incontinence, unconsciousness,

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Aggregate and Cumulative Exposure

• Food Quality Protection Act in reexamining
  pesticides EPA adds all exposures from all
  pesticides in a group (ex.organophosphates)
  together to estimate public health risks.
• Organophosphates will be reviewed together after
  reviewed individually

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Natural Pyrethrum/Pyrethrins and Rotenone

• Crude pyrethrum is a dermal and respiratory
  irritant
• Asthma has occurred after exposures
• Refined pyrethrins less allergenic but some
  irritant and sensitizing properties
• Rotenone has little human hazard
• Hazardous to fish, birds,

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Synthetic Pyrethroids

• Examples Baythroid, Pounce
• Synthetic mimics of natural pyrethrins
• Systemic toxicity by inhalation or skin
  absorption is lowfew human poisonings
• Dermal and respiratory irritation
• Stinging, itching, tingling progressing to
  numbness

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Natural Inorganic Insecticides

• Boric Acid and Borates
• Irritating to skin
• Infants- boiled lobster appearance redness,
  followed by peeling of skin
• Sulfur
• Dermatitis-skin irritation
• Irritation of eyes and respiratory tract

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Fungicides

• Most are unlikely to cause severe or frequent
  poisonings
• Cause irritant injuries to skin and mucous
  membranes, dermal sensitization

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Fungicides

• Chlorothalonils (Daconil) potential to cause
  cancer is unclear
• EBDCs under FQPA review as group
• Can degrade to ETU which can produce cancer in
  mice
• However, do not appear to be carcinogenic

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Herbicides

• Many can irritate skin, eyes and respiratory
  track
• Low systemic toxicity
• Ex. Some Round-up calls for eye protection

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Diquat/Paraquat

• Paraquat more toxic (orally)
• Large doses (6-8oz.) produces fatal lung changes.
• Fluid accumulation in lungs can occur in 24 to 72
  hrs. Respiratory failure.
• Exposure may cause blackening and abnormal growth
  of nails
• Diquat affects eye lens and intestinal tract
  liningvomiting.
• Both cause skin irritation and burning

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2,4-D and MCPA

• Moderately irritating to skin and mucous
  membranes
• May cause burning sensations in nose, sinuses and
  chest, dizziness
• Not agent orange
• Agent orange issue was from dioxin contaminant in
  the manufacture of 2,4,5-T

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2,4-D and Cancer

• There are no reports that indicate a direct link
  between 2,4-D exposure and cancer in humans.
• Some concern about higher rates of a type of
  cancer, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, among farmers, ag
  workers and pesticide applicators but different
  studies are not consistent.

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2,4-D and Cancer

• Most studies have not found a relationship
  between exposure to chlorophenoxy herbicides and
  soft sarcoma.
• Current evidence does not indicate that exposures
  to 2,4-D are linked with an increased incidence
  of breast cancer in humans or experimental
  animals.

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Atrazine and Cancer

• Found in drinking water
• Under special review
• Based on scientific evidence presented, EPA
  reclassified atrazine as not likely to be a
  human carcinogen
• Will be evaluating endocrine disruption
• Controversial frog deformity studies

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Organochlorines and Cancer

• DDT/DDE, dieldrin, chlordane
• Accumulate in fatty tissues
• No conclusive evidence
• Infertile alligators and reduced sperm counts

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Chronic Effects and Controversy

• Cancer
• Endocrine disruption
• Infertility and sperm counts
• Multiple chemical sensitivity

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Endocrine Disruption

• Hormones, alter bodily functions, development,
  and growth
• We are only starting to gather information on
  which chemicals are endocrine disruptors and at
  what level they have an effect.
• FQPA mandates testing of pesticides for endocrine
  disruption
• New screening tests must be developedvery
  difficult

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Multiple Chemical Sensitivity

• More frequent in women
• Very controversial whether it is really a disease

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Food Quality Protection Act

• All older pesticides must be reevaluated based on
  new standards
• Evaluating risk based on cumulative and aggregate
  exposure
• New testing for endocrine disruption
• Higher protection factor for children

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Agricultural Health Study

• A Landmark Study of Agricultural Workers and
  Their Families

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Agricultural Health Study

• A large, prospective
• cohort study
• Goal Establish a large group of people
  associated with pesticide application and follow
  them for many years to evaluate the relationship
  between agricultural exposures and disease

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What is the Ag Health Study?

• Long-term study to investigate effects of
  several factors on the health of the agricultural
  population. These factors include
• Environmental ? Dietary
• Occupational ? Genetic factors

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Exposures Experienced by Farmers

• PESTICIDES/
• Fertilizers
• Fuels and oils
• Animal viruses
• Organic solvents

• Engine exhausts
• Paints
• Grain dusts
• Welding fumes

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Who are they studying?

• Participants are commercial private pesticide
  applicators
• ( spouses, if married) in Iowa North
  Carolina
• 89,658 subjects in first 5 years (58,564 from IA
  31,094 from NC)

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QuestionnairesOccupational Factors

• Pesticides used
• Pesticide application methods used
• PPE use (current and 10 years ago)
• Other farm activities exposures

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QuestionnairesLifestyle Dietary Factors

• Diet
• Cooking practices
• Physical activity
• Smoking
• Alcohol consumption
• Hair dye use

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Mortality Followup (1994-1998) for Iowa Private
Applicators

• Cause of Death SMR Obs/Exp
• All Causes 0.4 333/848
• All Cancer 0.4 111/259
• Colon 0.7 16/23 Pancreas 1.0 12/13
• Lung 0.2 21/95 Prostate 0.3 6/19
• Brain 0.6 6/10
• Lymphoma 0.9 11/13
• Leukemia 0.7 7/10
• Cardiovascular Disease 0.4 115/277
• COPD 0.2 7/43
• Accidents 1.0 46/48
• Non-motor vehicle 1.2 30/25
• N 31,877 person-years 109,630

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Early Findings

• Farmers are healthier and live longer than the
  general population
• Overall they have less cancer
• There are a few cancers that appear to be
  slightly higher in occurrence

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Malignant Cancer Incidence Follow-up(1994-1998)
for Iowa Members

• Cancer Site SIR Obs/Exp
• All Sites 0.81 850/1050.3
• Buccal cavity pharynx 0.56 18/32.2
• Digestive system 0.77 143/186.8
• Respiratory system 0.27 49/184.1
• Skin melanomas 1.28 48/37.4
• FEMALE BREAST 1.19 134/112.2
• Female genital system 0.68 35/51.4
• PROSTATE 1.25 245/196.7
• Urinary system 0.58 28/48.4
• Brain CNS 0.91 15/16.5
• Lymphoma 0.73 64/87.7
• Expected based on rates for entire state of
  Iowa, 1995-98

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Retinal Degeneration

• Also called macular degeneration
• Leading cause of blindness in older adults
• Damage or breakdown of the retina of the eye,
  causing loss of central vision

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Retinal degeneration pesticide use

• Incidence related to fungicide use
• Fungicide applications to orchard fruits (apples
  or peaches), Christmas trees, or peanuts were
  involved
• Association was more pronounced with increasing
  lifetime days of fungicide use
• Association with prior organochlorine (aldrin,
  DDT) pesticide use was noted

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Retinal degeneration pesticide use

• Results similar in Iowa North Carolina
  applicators
• Based on 154 applicators reporting doctors
  diagnosis of this condition 17,804 applicators
  who did not
• More work needed to determine whether this
  relationship will be true for all data sets

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How is the study funded?

• Primary funding provided by the National Cancer
  Institute
• Additional funding from the
• National Institute of Environmental Health
  Sciences
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• National Institute for Occupational Safety
  Health

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For more information

• Visit the Ag Health Studys Web site
• www.aghealth.org

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Toxicity Information

• National Pesticide Telecommunication
  Network 1-800-858-7378
• Extoxnet ace.orst.edu/info/extoxnet/
• Poison Control Centers 1-800-222-1222
• Ohio State University Extension, Pesticide
  Education Program pested.osu.edu