Biochemical and hematological status of pesticide sprayers in Samut Songkhram, Thailand

Abstract

Background: There are few epidemiological studies regarding the effects of pesticides on enzymes related to liver function or on the hematological and biochemical parameters in occupationally exposed individuals. Aims: The aim was to evaluate biochemical and hematological parameters in pesticide sprayers. Materials and Methods: Medical history, characteristics of pesticide use, and related symptoms were recorded, and blood samples were collected from farmers at Samut Songkhram, Thailand during the period November-December 2014. Samples were divided into the pesticide sprayer group (N = 30) and the organic farmer group (N = 41). The collected blood samples were prepared for the following purposes: 1) to determine cholinesterase (ChE) activity, blood glucose, liver function test, kidney function test, and lipid profiles, which were analyzed by the automatic analyzer cobas C501 (Roche Diagnostics, Switzerland) and 2) to evaluate hematological status using complete blood count (CBC), which was analyzed by Celltac E MEK-7222 (Nihon Kohden, Japan). Results and Discussion: The levels of ChE, blood glucose, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), bilirubin, total protein, albumin, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and creatinine between the two groups were also not statistically different and were almost within the reference range. Lipid profiles, including levels of cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), were significantly different between the two groups at P = 0.035, P = 0.049, P = 0.032, and P = 0.043, respectively. Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) values of pesticide sprayers and organic farmers were lower than the reference range (30.6 ± 1.9 g/dL and 29.9 ± 1.7 g/dL) and were interpreted as anemia. Conclusions: Subchronic exposure to pesticides may alter the metabolism, which can cause hyperlipidemia and also anemia, as observed in this study.