Health symptoms and exposure to organophosphate pesticides in farmworkers.

BACKGROUND

Few studies have examined the relationship between reported health symptoms and exposure to organophosphate (OP) pesticides.

METHODS

Fisher's exact test was used to assess the relationship between self-reported health symptoms and indicators of exposure to OP pesticides in 211 farmworkers in Eastern Washington.

RESULTS

The health symptoms most commonly reported included headaches (50%), burning eyes (39%), pain in muscles, joints, or bones (35%), a rash or itchy skin (25%), and blurred vision (23%). Exposure to pesticides was prevalent. The proportion of detectable samples of various pesticide residues in house and vehicle dust was weakly associated with reporting certain health symptoms, particularly burning eyes and shortness of breath. No significant associations were found between reporting health symptoms and the proportion of detectable urinary pesticide metabolites.

CONCLUSIONS

Certain self-reported health symptoms in farmworkers may be associated with indicators of exposure to pesticides. Longitudinal studies with more precise health symptom data are needed to explore this relationship further.