• LIving Near Fields Increases Pesticide Exposure
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  • Weeds Can Be Managed Without Chemical Pesticides
  • Link to SK Organic Resources
  • Learn About Pesticides in Foods
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Respiratory

Respiratory illness links to pesticides

also see Cancer/ links,  nervous systematrazinePyrethrinschildrenexposure to pesticideshuman rights,  organophosphates

Pesticide Exposure with Disproportionate Effects Increases Risk of Asthma     (Beyond Pesticides, August 16, 2023) A study published in Environmental Science and Pollution Research further supports the indication that exposure to organophosphate insecticides (OPs) increases the risk of asthma among the U.S. general population.    The study finds that of the 6,009 participants, 842 participants have asthma. Upon examining urine samples of the 842 patients, four out of the six DAPs were present—dimethyl phosphate (DMP), diethyl phosphate (DEP), dimethyl thiophosphate (DMTP), and dimethyl dithiophosphate (DMDTP)—demonstrating a positive association with asthma in adults. The strongest associations between asthma and OPs occur more strongly among females, non-Hispanic White populations, and individuals lacking physical activity.    “Our findings suggest that more urinary OPIs exposure may be associated with an increased risk of asthma in the general US adults.' 

Life On or Near Chemical-Intensive Farms Associated with Increase in Respiratory Diseases(Beyond Pesticides, November 4, 2022) 'Rural populations in the U.S., a new study finds, are particularly at risk for agriculture-related exposures associated with respiratory diseases and other kinds of airway inflammation. The exposures include those to pesticides, livestock facilities, smoke from biomass burning, agricultural dust, and endotoxin. The study paper also looked at potential protective roles for dietary DHA, and for raw milk consumption (early in life).' The study is 'published in Immunology and Allergy Clinics of North America please note: this research paper is behind a paywall,'   'The study researchers assert that, “When compared with those who live in metropolitan counties, dwellers of rural areas . . . have increased percentages of preventable deaths from the five leading causes of death (i.e., cancer, heart disease, unintentional injury, chronic lower respiratory disease, and stroke), with the largest disparity demonstrated from chronic respiratory disease.” They add, “Despite significant progress in farming technology, modern farming is still associated with many hazardous exposures, and is consistently identified as one of the most dangerous industries in which to work, from a health and safety perspective.”   A 2021 study cited in the subject paper concluded that asthma mortality rates are significantly higher across all ages groups in areas with populations lower than 10,000 (with an average incidence rate of 13.4 per million residents) than in large metropolitan areas (at an average rate of 8.8 per million).'

Pesticides plague Californians of color, new study shows (Shannon Kelleher, The New Lede, 15 Sept. 2022)   'Ventura County (California) is known for its year-round production of roughly $2 billion worth of fruits and vegetables that feed people throughout the US and more than 70 other countries. Strawberries are the top crop, but workers also produce peppers, tomatoes, blueberries, avocados, and more.   The study found that 17.1 million pounds of pesticides, or an average of 5.7 million pounds per year, were sprayed in Ventura County from 2016 to 2018. The pesticides used included more than 60 types known to be carcinogenic and 74 types linked to endocrine disruption. Another 85 pesticides used in the county were linked to developmental and reproductive toxicity.     Notably, the study found that township sections where people of color were the majority had not just the most pesticide use, but also the most toxic pesticide use. More than half of the population in these areas was Latino or Hispanic. In contrast, areas that were relatively free of pesticides were overwhelmingly white communities.  “The strongest association we have seen between pesticide exposure during pregnancy and effects on children’s brains are with cognition, so like IQ and attention, ADHD,” said Gunier. “We have also looked at respiratory health, like asthma and lung function. For that, we actually see stronger associations with exposure during their childhood.”   As Harari began researching risk factors for advanced thyroid cancer at UCLA, she noticed that a lot of her referrals were coming from Bakersfield in Kern County– one of the top agricultural counties in the U.S. In a recent case-control study using thyroid cancer cases from the California Cancer Registry, Harari and colleagues found that 10 of the 29 pesticides they analyzed were associated with thyroid cancer.'

Study Confirms Children’s Exposure to Mosquito Pesticides Increases Risk of Respiratory Disease    (Beyond Pesticides, March 3, 2022) Children’s exposure to synthetic pyrethroid insecticides, particularly during the course of mosquito control operations, is associated with increased occurrence of certain respiratory diseases and allergic outcomes, finds research published in the journal Thorax late last month. High levels of metabolites from the fungicide mancozeb are correlated with increased incidence of lower respiratory tract infections. However, synthetic pyrethroid insecticides are the primary offenders, associated with higher odds of current asthma, ever being diagnosed with asthma, recent lower respiratory tract infections, and cough. The strongest association between pyrethroids and adverse health impacts is for wheeze. Increased exposure exhibits stronger correlations, with each 10x increase showing a greater likelihood of developing asthma, wheeze, lower respiratory tract infections, and itchy rash.  SNAP Comment: Synthetic pyrethroids, especially permethrin and pyrethrin are currently the most commonly used insecticide by consumers (respectively 281 and 335 domestic products) other than the imidacloprid used for fleas and ticks for pets. They are in most insect dusts as well as sprayable products like Raid and flea/tick collars. Pyrethroid poisoning is also the most commonly reported form of poisoning at the U.S.Poison control Center.

Study Adds to Growing Body of Research Linking Common Lung Disease (COPD) to Work-Related Pesticide Exposure   (Beyond Pesticides, February 3, 2022) A study published in the journal Thorax finds lifetime occupational (work-related) exposure to pesticides increases incidents of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

Degenerative Lung Diseases Associated with Atrazine Exposure, Worsened in Combination with Common Cancer Treatment    (Beyond Pesticides, December 2, 2021) A study published in Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry finds atrazine (ATR) exposure worsens lung disease outcomes in individuals with idiopathic (spontaneous) pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a group of incurable lung diseases involving damaged/scarred lung tissue. Furthermore, chemotherapeutic products used to treat lymphoma (immune system cell cancer) like bleomycin can induce pulmonary fibrosis complications exacerbated by pesticide exposure. 

Degenerative Lung Diseases Associated with Atrazine Exposure, Worsened in Combination with Common Cancer Treatment    (Beyond Pesticides, December 2, 2021) A study published in Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry finds atrazine (ATR) exposure worsens lung disease outcomes in individuals with idiopathic (spontaneous) pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a group of incurable lung diseases involving damaged/scarred lung tissue. Furthermore, chemotherapeutic products used to treat lymphoma (immune system cell cancer) like bleomycin can induce pulmonary fibrosis complications exacerbated by pesticide exposure. 

filed under Respiratory and atrazine

Degenerative Lung Diseases Associated with Atrazine Exposure, Worsened in Combination with Common Cancer Treatment    (Beyond Pesticides, December 2, 2021) A study published in Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry finds atrazine (ATR) exposure worsens lung disease outcomes in individuals with idiopathic (spontaneous) pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a group of incurable lung diseases involving damaged/scarred lung tissue. Furthermore, chemotherapeutic products used to treat lymphoma (immune system cell cancer) like bleomycin can induce pulmonary fibrosis complications exacerbated by pesticide exposure. 

filed under Respiratory and atrazine

Pesticide Exposure, Agricultural Work Associated with Chronic Lung Disease   (Beyond Pesticides, March, 16, 2021) Occupational and environmental exposure to pesticides and other contaminants in the environment increase the risk of developing a lung condition known as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), according to a meta-analysis published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports. IPF is a chronic, degenerative disease with no certain cause or cure. It is estimated to affect roughly 13 women and 20 men in 100,000 adults worldwide annually, with onset averaging age 66.   Pesticide use and agricultural work were found to have the strongest association with IPF. Pesticide exposure increased risk of IPF by 107%, whereas agricultural workers recorded an 88% increased risk.

Literature Review: Pesticides Exposure Highly Correlated with Respiratory Diseases   (Beyond Pesticides, October 15, 2020) A review of scientific literature on the correlation between respiratory diseases and pesticides exposure—published in the journal Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine (AAEM), “Influence of pesticides on respiratory pathology—a literature review”—finds that exposure to pesticides increases incidents of respiratory pathologies (i.e., asthma, lung cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD—or chronic bronchitis). Lung cancer has a positive association with the total number of days and intensity of pesticide exposure. Prolonged exposure (over 56 days) to the insecticide chlorpyrifos more than doubles the risk of developing lung cancer. The insecticide diazinon also shows a strong correlation between exposure and lung cancer incidences. Additionally, normal to high exposure to the herbicide metolachlor and high levels of exposure to the herbicide pendimethalin increase the risk of developing lung cancer. More than 109 days of carbofuran exposure, one of the most toxic carbamate pesticides, leads to a 3-fold increase in lung cancer incidences. Intensive exposure to the herbicide dicamba, even at low levels, increases lung cancer incidence. Occupational exposure to chlorophenol-related compound (a group of pesticides contaminated with the highly toxic chemical dioxin) during the manufacturing process has a strong association with lung cancer. Chemicals with a weak but a positive association with lung cancer are malathionatrazinecoumaphosS-ethyl-N, N-dipropylthiocarbamate, alachlor, trifluralin, and chlorothalonil.   Nonoccupational exposure to pesticides from residencies near pesticide processing plants, contact with pesticide-tainted clothes and tools, and household with improper storage and use of pesticides are at greater risk of respiratory illness, including asthma (ranking first) from chronic exposure, and upper and lower airway obstruction from acute exposure...Retailers are eight-fold more likely to experience respiratory distress than the general population, especially for retailers that sell manipulated organophosphorus compounds.   The connection between common and chronic respiratory diseases and exposure to pesticides continues to strengthen, despite efforts to restrict individual chemical exposure or mitigate chemical risks using risk assessment-based policy.

Organochlorine Pesticide Exposures in the Womb Linked to Poorer Lung Function in Childhood  (Beyond Pesticides, September 20, 2018)  'Organochlorine compounds, which include the pesticide DDT, as well as electrical insulators and other industrial products, are now banned in most parts of the world. However, because they degrade very slowly, they are still present in the environment and in foods...The new study is the first to show a link with objective measures of lung strength and capacity in relation to low-level exposure to these chemicals.'

Research Shows Greenspace and Biodiversity Protect Kids from Asthma  (Beyond Pesticides, May 17, 2018)  Of concern are the pesticides used in green spaces. Includes links to  Beyond Pesticides’ brochure, Asthma, Children, and Pesticides and El Asma, los Niños y los Pesticidas: Lo que usted debe saber para proteger a su familia, and Children and Pesticides Don’t Mix.

Chronic Pesticide Exposure at Work Tied to Breathing Disorders   (Beyond Pesticides, August 3, 2017) Working in close contact with pesticides over the course of one’s lifetime increases the risk of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and other breathing disorders. Researchers found that lung disease and airway obstruction was 75% higher for those with exposure to any pesticides in their occupation (including herbicides, insecticides, fungicides), and 109% higher for those specifically reporting occupational exposure to herbicides. As part of cumulative exposure calculations, scientists determined that for every 10 years of exposure to any pesticide on the job, COPD risk increased by 12%, chronic bronchitis by 16%, chronic cough by 12%, and chronic phlegm problems increased by 13%. Chronic exposure to only herbicides resulted in a 16% increased risk of COPD and 22% risk of chronic bronchitis. Insecticide exposure alone represented a 10% increase in COPD and a 15% increase in cronic bronchitis.

78 Commonly Used Agricultural Pesticides Linked to Wheezing (Beyond Pesticides, August 10, 2016) New research connects 78 pesticides commonly used by farmers withmany adverse respiratory effects, including both allergic and non-allergic wheeze.This is one of the most comprehensive evaluations of pesticides in relation to wheeze that has been evaluated to date, finding that several commonly used pesticides in both agriculture and residential settings can cause adverse respiratory effects.“Fifty-one of the pesticides we tested in this study had never been analyzed in terms of their effects on respiratory outcomes. And some of them, like glyphosate, 2,4-D and permethrin, aren’t just used on farms. Nice graph illustrating the pesticides and effects. NOTE: the mandatory testing od pesticides is usually done orally. To my knowledge, there are no regularly mandated tests for respiratory exposure except perhaps for individual chemicals known to cause problems like fumigants which are very volatile. In 2005, when malathion was used all over for mosquito control for West Nile virus, the US EPA had requested information on respiratory toxicity but not yet received it. 

Study Links Rhinitis to Pesticide Exposure (Beyond Pesticides, December 1, 2009). “Rhinitis associated with pesticide exposure among commercial pesticide applicators in the Agricultural Health Study,” evaluated the association between rhinitis and 34 pesticides used in the past year. Five of the pesticides were significantly positively associated with current rhinitis: the herbicides 2,4-D, glyphosate and petroleum oil (inert), the insecticide diazinon and the fungicide benomyl. Diazinon and petroleum oil herbicide showed the most consistent association. The association for 2,4-D and glyphosate was limited to individuals who used both in the past year, suggesting a possible synergistic effect. (Posted in 2,4-D, Agriculture, Asthma, Benomyl, Chemicals, Chlorpyrifos, Diazinon, Disease/Health Effects, Farmworkers, Glyphosate, Inerts)

Asthma