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Prevalence of chromosomal aberrations in Argentinean agricultural workers

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Abstract

Little is known about biosecurity measures and toxic effects during pesticide application in the province of Jujuy, Argentina, particularly concerning the protective measures and mixture of pesticides used by rural workers. We carried out an observational study of agricultural workers from Jujuy (76 exposed subjects and 53 controls) to investigate the prevalence of chromosomal aberrations (CAs) in human lymphocytes as well as the activity level of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in red blood cell erythrocytes. Whole blood samples (5 mL) were collected in heparinized Vacutainer tubes for cytogenetic analysis and erythrocyte cholinesterase activity determination according to Ellman’s method. Cytogenetic results showed a significant CA increase in pesticide-exposed individuals as compared with controls (4.20 ± 0.15 vs. 1.00 ± 0.05, respectively; p < 0.001), suggesting that pesticides are clastogenic agents causing DNA damage. Erythrocyte cholinesterase activity was significantly lower in exposed individuals, evidencing the possible occurrence of perturbations in blood as well as neurotoxicity in pesticide sprayers. These results suggest the need for periodic biomonitoring of these biomarkers together with education and training of occupational workers for the safe application of potentially harmful pesticides.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by funds provided by Secretaria de Ciencia y Técnica y Estudios Regionales (SECTER)—Universidad Nacional de Jujuy (UNJu) (grant A 08/A 167). The authors thank Adriana Di Maggio for careful manuscript editing prior to submission.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Jujuy, Alberdi 47 (Y4600DTA), San Salvador de Jujuy, Argentina

    Graciela Eugenia Bianco, Eva Suarez, Lauro Cazon, Teresita Beatriz de la Puente & Marcelo Rafael Benitez Ahrendts

  2. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, IGEVET—Instituto de Genética Veterinaria (UNLP-CONICET LA PLATA), CC 296 AVW, B1900, La Plata, Argentina

    Julio César De Luca

  3. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Godoy Cruz 2290 (C1425FQB), CABA, Argentina

    Julio César De Luca

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  1. Graciela Eugenia Bianco
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  2. Eva Suarez
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  3. Lauro Cazon
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  4. Teresita Beatriz de la Puente
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  5. Marcelo Rafael Benitez Ahrendts
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Correspondence to Julio César De Luca.

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Bianco, G.E., Suarez, E., Cazon, L. et al. Prevalence of chromosomal aberrations in Argentinean agricultural workers. Environ Sci Pollut Res 24, 21146–21152 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-9664-3

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