Abstract
Organochlorine (OC) pesticides have been extensively used for pest control in agriculture and against malaria vectors in the region of Soconusco, Chiapas, in southern Mexico. Our study aimed to identify whether the inhabitants of four Soconusco communities at different locations (i.e., altitudes) and with different history of use of OC pesticides, have been similarly exposed to residues of these pesticides. In particular, we analyzed the potential relationship between levels of OC pesticides in plasma and the age, gender, and residence of the study population (n = 60). We detected seven pesticides in total (γ-HCH, β-HCH, heptachlor, p,pʹ-DDE, p,p'-DDT, β-endosulfan, endrin aldehyde). Of these, p,pʹ-DDE and β-endosulfan were the most frequently found (in 98% and 38% of the samples, respectively). The low-altitude (<20 m above sea level; masl) and mid-altitude (520 masl) locations had the highest levels of p,pʹ-DDE, with geometric means of 50.6 µg/L and 44.46 µg/L, respectively. The oldest subjects (>60 years) had the highest p,pʹ-DDE level (56.94 ± 57.81 µg/L) of all age groups, while men had higher p,pʹ-DDE (34.00 ± 46.76 µg/L) than women. Our results demonstrate that residents of the Soconusco region are exposed to p,pʹ-DDE because of high exposure to DDT in the past and current environmental exposure to this DDT-breakdown product.
Highlights
Soconusco is located in the state of Chiapas, in southeast Mexico, and is one of the most important agricultural regions in the country
Catalán [1] reported that spraying reached 21 times per cycle and that 1,109,650.5 L/year of insecticides were applied for pest control when the cultivated cotton acreage was the largest
In the low and middle zones, we found individuals with the greatest durations of occupational exposure to pesticides: 33.1 and 27.5 years, respectively
Summary
Soconusco is located in the state of Chiapas, in southeast Mexico, and is one of the most important agricultural regions in the country. Organochlorine (OC) pesticides were used for more than 40 years for pest control in this region, mainly in coffee and cotton fields. Cotton cultivation in particular grew remarkably, from 518 to 35,227 ha cultivated, in the 1950 to 1978 period [1]. This growth occurred with the adoption of modern agricultural technologies, the use of insecticides. Official records indicate that a mixture of toxaphene and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) was sprayed in doses of 6–7 L/ha per cycle [2]. Catalán [1] reported that spraying reached 21 times per cycle and that 1,109,650.5 L/year of insecticides were applied for pest control when the cultivated cotton acreage was the largest. It is estimated that 69,545 tons of DDT were used just during
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