Sombatsawat Ekarat, Siriwong Wattasit, Puangthongthub Sitthichok
Industrial Toxicology and Risk Assessment Graduate Program, Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
College of Public Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Rocz Panstw Zakl Hig. 2023;74(1):113-120. doi: 10.32394/rpzh.2023.0249.
Organophosphate and carbamate pesticides are widely used, and their adverse health effects remain a serious problem.
This investigation aimed to describe risk factors, erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition, and self-reported symptoms and to derive an association between influence factors and erythrocyte AChE inhibition among farmers in Thailand.
A cross-sectional study was conducted on 71 farmers from August to October 2022. General characteristics and pesticide exposure factors were elicited via a questionnaire-based interview. The erythrocyte AChE inhibition was assessed using the EQM Test-mate Cholinesterase (Model 400) instrument. Data were presented descriptively and analyzed statistically using Chi-square and binary logistic regression.
Most farmers were over 50 years old and had an abnormal body mass index (BMI) without alcohol consumption and smoking. Aprons (18.31%) and protective eyewear (12.68%) as personal protective equipment (PPE) were found to be used less often. The level of hemoglobin-adjusted erythrocyte AChE (Q) was considered normal when it was 59.15% and abnormal when it was 40.85%. Self-reported symptoms were confirmed to be associated with lower erythrocyte AChE levels. The Chi-square analysis showed that shortness of breath, irritation, headache, dizziness, sleep fragmentation, and memory problems were significantly associated with erythrocyte AChE (p < 0.05). The bivariate analysis revealed that farmers who consumed alcohol while using pesticides (mixing, loading, and spraying) (OR=35.821, 95% CI=4.591-279.490), who did not wear a mask while using pesticides (OR=11.898, 95% CI=1.061-133.440), and who did not wear boots while using pesticides (OR=0.166, 95% CI=0.031-0.890) had an increased likelihood of having a severe inhibition of erythrocyte AChE.
These findings suggest that the promotion of risk prevention practices must be imposed on appropriate pesticide handling and PPE use among farmers.
有机磷和氨基甲酸酯类农药被广泛使用，其对健康的不良影响仍然是一个严重问题。
本调查旨在描述危险因素、红细胞乙酰胆碱酯酶（AChE）抑制情况和自我报告的症状，并推导泰国农民中影响因素与红细胞AChE抑制之间的关联。
2022年8月至10月对71名农民进行了一项横断面研究。通过基于问卷的访谈获取一般特征和农药暴露因素。使用EQM Test-mate胆碱酯酶（400型）仪器评估红细胞AChE抑制情况。数据进行描述性呈现，并使用卡方检验和二元逻辑回归进行统计分析。
大多数农民年龄超过50岁，体重指数（BMI）异常，不饮酒且不吸烟。发现作为个人防护装备（PPE）的围裙（18.31%）和防护眼镜（12.68%）使用频率较低。血红蛋白校正后的红细胞AChE（Q）水平在59.15%时被认为正常，在40.85%时为异常。自我报告的症状被证实与较低的红细胞AChE水平相关。卡方分析表明，呼吸急促、刺激、头痛、头晕、睡眠碎片化和记忆问题与红细胞AChE显著相关（p<0.05）。二元分析显示，在使用农药（混合、装载和喷洒）时饮酒的农民（OR=35.821，95%CI=4.591-279.490）、在使用农药时不戴口罩的农民（OR=11.898，95%CI=1.061-133.440）以及在使用农药时不穿靴子的农民（OR=0.166，95%CI=0.031-0.890）红细胞AChE受到严重抑制的可能性增加。
这些发现表明，必须在农民中推广适当的农药处理和个人防护装备使用的风险预防措施。
