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Exposure to heavy metals due to pesticide use by vineyard farmers

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International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objectives

To statistically analyze serum heavy metal levels in biological samples obtained from vineyard workers from southern Brazil and check for heavy metal exposure due to pesticide use.

Methods

Serum samples were obtained from 54 farmers and 108 healthy unexposed individuals. Samples from the same farmers were obtained at three different time points over a 1-year period. Levels of lead, arsenic, nickel, zinc, manganese and copper were determined for each sample using dynamic reaction cell inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (DRC-ICP-MS). All results were statistically analyzed using the nonparametric Kruskal–Wallis test (followed by Dunn’s post hoc test).

Results

Results showed that serum heavy metal levels in farmers were twofold to fourfold higher than in controls. This difference was found for all heavy metals tested and was significant (p < 0.05). Serum metal levels among the farmers also correlated with the frequency of use of pesticides at a specific time of year, which varied according to seasonal conditions influencing the need for pesticide application.

Conclusions

It can be concluded that in the vineyard region assessed, farmers were more susceptible to heavy metal exposure due to pesticide use.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratório de Toxicologia, Departamento de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil

    Gustavo Henrique Oliveira Rocha, Renata Sano Lini, Samuel Botião Nerilo, Erika Bando, Simone Aparecida Galerani Mossini & Paula Nishiyama

  2. Laboratório de Toxicologia e Essencialidade de Metais, Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Toxicológicas e Bromatológicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto-USP, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil

    Fernando Barbosa Jr., Bruno Lemos Batista & Vanessa Cristina de Oliveira Souza

  3. Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas, Universidade Federal do ABC, Santo André, São Paulo, Brazil

    Bruno Lemos Batista

Authors
  1. Gustavo Henrique Oliveira Rocha
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  2. Renata Sano Lini
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  3. Fernando Barbosa Jr.
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  4. Bruno Lemos Batista
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  5. Vanessa Cristina de Oliveira Souza
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  6. Samuel Botião Nerilo
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  7. Erika Bando
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  8. Simone Aparecida Galerani Mossini
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  9. Paula Nishiyama
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Paula Nishiyama.

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Rocha, G.H.O., Lini, R.S., Barbosa, F. et al. Exposure to heavy metals due to pesticide use by vineyard farmers. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 88, 875–880 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-014-1010-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-014-1010-1

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