Abstract
Pesticides are suspected of being endocrine disruptors. This cross-sectional study measured serum samples for levels of thyroid hormones including thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), free T3 (FT3), and free T4 (FT4) among Indonesian female farmers (n = 127) and non-farmers (n = 127). A questionnaire was used to collect information on demographics and risk factors including work characteristics and frequency, and the use of home and agricultural pesticides. Results showed that there were no significant differences in the distribution of the clinical categories of thyroid levels between farmers and non-farmers except for FT3 and T4. However, in multivariable regression controlling for confounders, FT3 and T4 were significantly higher for farmers compared to non-farmers. In addition, 32% of farmers had clinically low iodine levels and 49% of non-farmers had clinically high iodine levels. We conclude that pesticide exposure may not be as important as iodine intake in explaining these findings. We recommend counseling by health workers about the importance of using iodized salt for farmers and counseling about high iodine foods that need to be avoided for non-farmers.
Highlights
In 2020, the Minister of Agriculture in Indonesia stated that the production targets of the country had increased to 59.15 million tons for rice, 30.35 million tons for corn, and1.29 million tons for soybeans [1]
Most of the respondents were in the age range 26–35 years (61% of farmers and 50% of non-farmers were in this range), and there was no statistically significant difference in age between the groups
This study is the first study in Indonesia to examine the association of thyroid hormone levels between women farmers who may be exposed to pesticides and non-farmers
Summary
In 2020, the Minister of Agriculture in Indonesia stated that the production targets of the country had increased to 59.15 million tons for rice, 30.35 million tons for corn, and1.29 million tons for soybeans [1]. In 2020, the Minister of Agriculture in Indonesia stated that the production targets of the country had increased to 59.15 million tons for rice, 30.35 million tons for corn, and. The use of pesticides forms part of farmers’ efforts to control crop pests and increase farm productivity to meet the increasing demands of Indonesia’s growing population as well as its export needs. Data on the use of pesticides in Southeast Asia, including in Indonesia, are still very limited, from. 2015–2020, the number of pesticide trademarks increased by 4380 brands [2]. Little research has been done to identify the risks faced by Indonesian farmers using pesticides. In Semarang Indonesia, 13 of the 50 Indonesian chili farmers studied (26%). In a study of 70 horticulture farmers in Magelang, Central Java, 14.3% reported pesticide Reported severe pesticide poisoning and 37 (74%) reported light poisoning by pesticides [3].
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