Plaguicidas organofosforados y cáncer en Latinoamérica: Evidencia para una discusión bioética

There is evidence that the exposure to highly hazardous pesticides is associated with cancer development. Organophosphate pesticides (OP) are within this group and are widely used in Latin America. The aim of this paper was to review the Latin American research on exposure to organophosphate pesticides and its effects on the development of human cancer and discuss their bioethical implications. A systematic search was run in PubMed database, then replicating it in other databases. Eligibility criteria were: Latin American scientific studies, samples of human population or tissue, OP exposure and cancer development. Search terms were organophosphates, cancer and the name of each country. Of a total of 1092 articles, 11 met the criteria. All found relationship between OP pesticide exposure and cancer development. 81 % of the studies were experimental and showed that exposure to chlorpyrifos, parathion and malathion cause the development of human breast carcinoma. We conclude that Latin American research suggests that OP pesticide exposure generates cancer in humans; therefore, the development of policies that regulate the use of pesticides and forbid the most dangerous is required.Existe evidencia de que la exposición a plaguicidas altamente peligrosos se asocia con el desarrollo de cáncer. Los plaguicidas organofosforados (OP) están dentro de este grupo y son muy utilizados en Latinoamérica. El objetivo fue analizar estudios latinoamericanos sobre la exposición a plaguicidas organofosforados y sus efectos en el desarrollo de cáncer humano y discutir sus implicancias bioéticas. Para ello, se realizó una búsqueda sistemática en PubMed, replicándola luego en otras bases de datos. Los criterios de elegibilidad fueron: estudios científicos latinoamericanos, muestras de población o tejido humano, exposición a OP y desarrollo de cáncer. Los términos de búsqueda fueron organofosforados, cáncer y el nombre de cada país. De un total de 1092 artículos, 11 cumplieron con los criterios. Todos encontraron relación entre exposición a plaguicidas OP y desarrollo de cáncer. El 81 % de los estudios eran experimentales y demostraron que la exposición a clorpirifos, paratión o malatión provocan el desarrollo de carcinoma mamario humano. Se concluye que las investigaciones latinoamericanas apuntan a que la exposición a plaguicidas OP genera cáncer en humanos, por lo tanto se requiere el desarrollo de políticas que regulen su uso y prohibición de los más peligrosos

Salud de los trabajadores

Actividad física y su relación con los factores de riesgo cardiovascular de carteros chilenosAnálisis de resultados: riesgos psicosociales en el trabajo Suceso-Istas 21 en Cesfam QuellónAusentismo laboral por enfermedades oftalmológicas, Chile 2009Brote de diarreas por norovirus, posterremoto-tsunami, Constitución, Región del MauleCalidad de vida en profesionales de la salud pública chilenaCaracterización del reposo laboral en personal del SSMN durante el primer semestre de 2010Concentración de nicotina en pelo en trabajadores no fumadores expuestos a humo de tabaco ambientalCondiciones de trabajo y bienestar/malestar docente en profesores de enseñanza media de SantiagoDisfunción auditiva inducida por exposición a xilenoErgonomía aplicada al estudio del síndrome de dolor lumbar en el trabajoEstimación de la frecuencia de factores de riesgo cardiovascular en trabajadores de una empresa mineraExposición a plaguicidas inhibidores de la acetilcolinesterasa en Colombia, 2006-2009Factores de riesgo y daños de salud en conductores de una empresa peruana de transporte terrestre, 2009Las consecuencias de la cultura en salud y seguridad ocupacional en una empresa mineraPercepción de cambios en la práctica médica y estrategias de afrontamientoPercepción de la calidad de vida en la Universidad del BiobíoPesos máximos aceptables para tareas de levantamiento manual de carga en población laboral femeninaRiesgo coronario en trabajadores mineros según la función de Framingham adaptada para la población chilenaTrastornos emocionales y riesgo cardiovascular en trabajadores de la salu

Proximidade residencial com um velho depósito mineral no Chile e nível de chumbo no sangue em crianças

Evidence suggests that an old mineral storage site removed in 1998 due to high lead content, remains as a source of exposure in the city of Antofagasta, Chile. The aim was to determine the association between blood lead levels in children and the residential proximity to the old mineral storage site. A cross sectional study was conducted with 185 children aged 7 to 16 years. The outcome variable was blood lead levels measured in 2005. The exposure variable was the distance between the current residence and the old mineral storage site. The distance was measured in meters by Geographic Information System (GIS). The median blood lead level in 2005 was 3.3 mu g/dL (interquartile range - IQR: 2.0-4.3). A significant inverse association was found between the residential distance to the old mineral storage site and the blood lead levels in children, after adjusting by confounders (beta: -0.04; 95%CI: -0.09; -0.01). This result suggests that the old mineral storage site continues to be a source of lead exposure for the children living nearby

Early tobacco and alcohol consumption as modifying risk factors on marijuana use Consumo precoz de tabaco y alcohol como factores modificadores del riesgo de uso de marihuana

Objective: To assess the relationship between early tobacco and alcohol use and the risk of marijuana consumption among schoolchildren. Methods: A cross-sectional study comprising data from the Fourth National Study on Drug Use in the Chilean School Population (2001). There were studied 54,001 schoolchildren aged between eight and 20 years. Predictors were self-reported tobacco and alcohol use (ever users), age at initiation of tobacco and/or alcohol use, and intensity of tobacco use. The study outcome was self-reported marijuana use (ever users versus never users) and age at initiation of marijuana use. Poisson regression and Weibull regression were used for data analysis. Results: Lifetime prevalence of tobacco use was high: 77%, alcohol 79%, and marijuana 23%. Tobacco consumption increased the likelihood of marijuana use (PR=10.4; 95% CI: 8.9;12.2). Later initiation of tobacco (HR=0.85; 95% CI: 0.84;0.86) and alcohol (HR-0.90; 95% CI: 0.89;0.91) decreased the risk of marijuana use

Low-level arsenic exposure during pregnancy and its association with postpartum depression: a cohort study of women from Arica, Chile

Background. - While the relationship between inorganic arsenic exposure and psychological impairment has been studied previously, the association between low-level arsenic exposure during pregnancy and postpartum depression has not yet been examined. The objective is to estimate the association between low-level arsenic exposure during pregnancy and the Edinburgh score. Methods. - A sample of 223 women was collected from five public health services in Arica, Chile. Participation was voluntary and written consent was mandatory. Sociodemographic data related to arsenic exposure and urine samples for total inorganic arsenic assessments were collected during the second trimester. Postpartum depression symptoms were estimated by the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression scale. We examined descriptive statistics and ran multiple linear regressions. The modifying effect of age and depression history was evaluated separately. Results. - The median for total urinary inorganic arsenic was 14.6 mu g/L (range: 2-69.2 mu g/L), the median for postpartum depression score was 8 points (range: 0-27 points) and 20.6% of women were considered as postpartum depressed. For women older than 25 years old without depression history, the adjusted coefficient for the total urinary natural logarithm of inorganic arsenic in multiple linear regressions was 2.51 (95% CI: -4.54, -0.48; P-value = 0.02). For women older than 25 years old with a depression history, this value was 2.09 (95% CI: -0.90, 5.08; P-value = 0.16). Conclusions. - In this cohort, the number of children, physical perception, depression history, stressful maternity, and age were associated with postpartum depression score. The Edinburgh score was associated with inorganic arsenic in women older than 25 years without depression history.FONDECYT "Pre- and postnatal exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and arsenic and its relation to child development: Cohort study in infants of Arica'' of the National Commission of Scientific and Technological Research 1112167

Exposure pathways to pesticides in schoolchildren in the Province of Talca,Chile

Artículo de publicación ISIObjetivo: Describir la concentración de plaguicidas en diferentes matrices ambientales en dos períodosde tiempo (baja y alta producción agrícola local) y estimar la asociación entre la presencia de residuosde plaguicidas en las matrices y su uso en el hogar con variables sociodemográficas de escolares de laProvincia de Talca.Métodos: Estudio de dise˜no transversal en 190 escolares. Se encuestó a las familias para conocer elconsumo de vegetales de los escolares en la escuela y en el hogar, el uso de plaguicidas en el hogar yotras variables sociodemográficas. También se midieron los residuos de plaguicidas en vegetales y aguaconsumidos por los escolares y en el suelo de 14 escuelas.Resultados: La matriz vegetal presenta la mayor concentración de residuos en ambos períodos de tiempo,tanto en escolares urbanos como rurales. Los residuos de plaguicidas más frecuentes en los vegetalesfueron clorpirifos, difenilamina, pirimetanil y tiabendazol. En los hogares se usan principalmente pire-troides y organofosforados en la época de verano. Se encontraron residuos de plaguicidas peligrosos,como azinfos metil y dimetoato, en vegetales consumidos por los escolares en las escuelas y hogares, yde organoclorados en el suelo de algunas escuelas.Conclusiones: Se sugiere elaborar propuestas de prevención y control de la exposición a plaguicidas en lapoblación escolar, y evaluar los efectos en la salud de los escolares.Esta investigación fue financiada por un proyecto de investiga-ción del Fondo Nacional de Investigación en Salud de la ComisiónNacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONICYT) de Chile, FONISSA10I20001, y por un proyecto NIH Fogarty, N.◦D43 TW05746,ITREOH (International Training Research Environmental & Occu-pational Health), del Instituto Nacional de Salud de Estados Unidos(NIH), proyecto vigente entre Emory University, Atlanta (EstadosUnidos), y la Escuela de Salud Pública de la Universidad de Chile

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and its association with heavy metals in children from northern Chile

Introduction: Exposure to lead and arsenic has been associated with child behavior problems. In Arica, a northern city of Chile, the natural presence of arsenic in water has been registered. Also, the city has a history of heavy metals contamination of anthropogenic origin. The purpose of this study was to explore the association between the concentration of blood lead and urinary inorganic arsenic with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as reported by parents. Methods: Cross-sectional design with data analysis of 2656 children between the ages of 3 and 17 enrolled at the Environmental Health Center of Arica between 2009 and 2015. The diagnosis of ADHD was made based on the parents' response to questions about health history. Multiple logistic regression models were used to adjust for confounding variables. Results: The prevalence of ADHD was 6.4%. The means urinary inorganic arsenic and blood lead were 21 mu g/L and 1.5 mu g/dl, respectively. In the lead model adjusted for sex, age, housing material quality and exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke report; children with blood lead concentrations >= 5 mu g/dl were more likely to develop ADHD [Odds Ratio (OR): 2.33 95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.32-4.12)]. Regarding arsenic, the adjusted model revealed a higher chance of developing ADHD in the fifth quintile of exposure (OR = 2.02 IC 95% 1.12-3.61). Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that exposure of children to lead and inorganic arsenic was associated with ADHD. This study provides additional evidence to existing literature regarding the potential role of toxic metals such as lead and arsenic in children's behavior. However, our findings should be interpreted with caution due to the limitations of the study

Occupational Exposure to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons: A Cross-Sectional Study in Bars and Restaurants in Santiago, Chile

Objective To evaluate indoor polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations in bars and restaurants and identify the main determinants of airborne PAH concentrations. Methods This study included 57 bars/restaurants in Santiago, Chile. PAH concentrations (ng/m(3)) were measured using photoelectric aerosol sensor equipment (PAS 2000CE model). Nicotine concentrations (mg/m(3)) were measured using active sampling pumps followed by gas-chromatography. Linear regression models were used to identify determinants of PAH concentrations. Results PAH concentrations were higher in venues that allowed smoking compared to smoke-free venues. After adjusting, the air PAH concentrations were 1.40 (0.64-3.10) and 3.34 (1.43-7.83) ng/m(3) higher for tertiles 2 and 3 of air nicotine compared to the lowest tertile. Conclusions In hospitality venues where smoking is allowed, secondhand smoke exposure is a major source of PAHs in the environment. This research further supports the importance of implementing complete smoking bans to protect service industry workers from PAH exposure.This study was supported by National Fund for Research and Development in Health FONIS, CONICYT-MINSAL, Research Grant #SA09I062. One of the authors was supported by the Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute (FAMRI), the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use, and from the U.S. National Cancer Institute (R03CA153959)

Salud de los trabajadores

Actividad física y su relación con los factores de riesgo cardiovascular de carteros chilenosAnálisis de resultados: riesgos psicosociales en el trabajo Suceso-Istas 21 en Cesfam QuellónAusentismo laboral por enfermedades oftalmológicas, Chile 2009Brote de diarreas por norovirus, posterremoto-tsunami, Constitución, Región del MauleCalidad de vida en profesionales de la salud pública chilenaCaracterización del reposo laboral en personal del SSMN durante el primer semestre de 2010Concentración de nicotina en pelo en trabajadores no fumadores expuestos a humo de tabaco ambientalCondiciones de trabajo y bienestar/malestar docente en profesores de enseñanza media de SantiagoDisfunción auditiva inducida por exposición a xilenoErgonomía aplicada al estudio del síndrome de dolor lumbar en el trabajoEstimación de la frecuencia de factores de riesgo cardiovascular en trabajadores de una empresa mineraExposición a plaguicidas inhibidores de la acetilcolinesterasa en Colombia, 2006-2009Factores de riesgo y daños de salud en conductores de una empresa peruana de transporte terrestre, 2009Las consecuencias de la cultura en salud y seguridad ocupacional en una empresa mineraPercepción de cambios en la práctica médica y estrategias de afrontamientoPercepción de la calidad de vida en la Universidad del BiobíoPesos máximos aceptables para tareas de levantamiento manual de carga en población laboral femeninaRiesgo coronario en trabajadores mineros según la función de Framingham adaptada para la población chilenaTrastornos emocionales y riesgo cardiovascular en trabajadores de la salu