Abstract
Pesticides exposure has been linked with many childhood diseases including endocrine and immune disorders. The aim of the present study is to monitor the levels of pesticides residues in a group of Type 1 Diabetic Children (TID) in our locality and to explore if there is a correlation between presence of pesticides and risk of occurrence of TID. One hundred and ten Egyptian children; their ages ranged from 1.2 to 10 years were studied. The control group comprised 35 completely healthy children, while the study group included 75 children (newly diagnosed as TID). Children were chosen from those attending Mansoura University Children Hospital. Blood samples were collected from both groups for detection of pesticides residues. The results reveal that lindane is the most common organochlorine pesticide detected followed by o.p-DDD and p.p-DDE as DDT metabolites; while the most prevalent organophosphate compound is malathion. It could be concluded that Egyptian children have measurable levels of several pesticides residues and there is increased risk of developing T1D in children exposed to some types of pesticides. Additionally, biomonitoring of these toxicants provide clinical toxicologists and physicians with reference values to be compared with other populations and could be correlated in the future studies with diseases claimed to be due to pesticide exposure especially in children.
Highlights
Pesticides comprised several chemical compounds, which are used to increase agricultural products by preventing losses due to pests
The goal of the present study is to monitor the levels of pesticides residues in a group of type 1 diabetic (T1D) children in our locality and to explore if there is correlation between presence of pesticides and risk of occurrence of Type Diabetic Children (TID)
The present findings indicated that an Egyptian Ministerial Decree prohibited the import and use of OC in 1996, some of these toxic pesticides are still illegally applied making exposure to these compounds unavoidable [19,20]
Summary
Pesticides comprised several chemical compounds, which are used to increase agricultural products by preventing losses due to pests. Among the major groups of pesticides; Organochlorine (OC) pesticides are one of the most toxic and more potent due to their persistence and stability. They were prohibited from use throughout the world for more than 20 years ago [1]. OC pesticides are subject to transport over long distances and can be detected even in areas where they have never been used. They can bioaccumulate and biomagnify in food chains. In Egypt many studies have been documented the presence of OC in water; milk and its products; vegetables and fruits [5,6]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
