View clinical trials related to Pesticide Exposure.
Filter by:This is a cross-sectional study carried out on a sample of the adult population aged 18 to 69, distributed over the five archipelagos of French Polynesia. Participation in the study involves: agreement to answer a questionnaire to collect information on socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle habits and medical history; physical measurements (height, weight, waist circumference, blood pressure and skin pigmentation); and agreement to take biological samples (blood, saliva and stool) for biological, genetic and microbiological analyses. The aim of the study is to assess the current health status of the population of French Polynesia and to evaluate the influence of contextual risk factors (lifestyle, place of residence, history of infection) and intrinsic susceptibility factors (genetics, age, gender, microbiota) in relation to non-communicable and infectious diseases.
In the Lake Apopka, Florida area for over 50 years starting in the 1940s, organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) including 4,4'-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), dieldrin, chlordane, toxaphene and more recently methoxychlor were sprayed on farmlands in order to control pests and to improve crop harvests. For most of those years, the farmworkers were exposed to the pesticides as part of their work. Because of their lipophilic (fat soluble) nature, these organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are readily taken up into the body and not readily eliminated. Therefore, they can be detected in exposed individuals for many years after the exposure. There is some evidence that certain OCPs can cause or exacerbate medical problems in sensitive individuals. For example, exposure to some OCPs has been associated with development of Parkinsonism. Exposure to other OCPs has been associated with development of lupus erythematosus, an auto-immune disease. Other adverse effects of exposure to OCPs are endocrine disruption because some OCPs mimic estrogens and others mimic androgens, or may have mixed interactions with steroid receptors. In this research study the investigators aim is to test the blood from former farmworkers during the 1940s through the late 1970s who reside in the Lake Apopka area for OCPs and for the auto-antibodies. In addition, questionnaires will provide insight on their health status and health concerns.
We propose to conduct a study to increase our understanding of farming practices and of the potential for previous exposure to DDT in North Carolina African American male agricultural workers, a group especially likely to have had high DDT exposure. Because of potentially widespread DDT exposure from agricultural activities, African American farmers and farm workers may be uniquely at risk for any associated health effects. However, little is known about levels of pesticide exposure in African American farming populations. Three hundred and eighty-nine African American men who are current or former farmers or farm workers will be asked to participate in the study. These men are members of the Supplemental Minority Cohort of the NCI/NIEHS/EPA Agricultural Health Study (AHS). The AHS is a prospective study of the potential health effects associated with agricultural exposures. Men in the supplemental cohort were recruited in 1996. At that time, they completed an enrollment questionnaire that focused on lifetime agricultural exposures, demographics, lifestyle factors and health. In this new study, a follow-up questionnaire will be administered by telephone by a trained interviewer to all men. Following the interview, the participant will be asked to donate a blood specimen, to have anthropometric indices (e.g., height, weight, waist and hip circumference, etc.) measured, and to have a top- and side view Polaroid photograph of their head taken during one visit to a central community location, such as the local church or health clinic. We will quantitatively document serum p,p'-DDE levels, correlate these with self-reported farming activities and DDT exposure, and describe the health status of these men. We will also correlate serum p,p'-DDE levels and androgen concentrations, since p,p'-DDE is thought to be a potent androgen receptor antagonist. This exploration of the potential link between levels is important because the demonstration of any subclinical physiological effects of p,p'-DDE would increase the plausibility of a wide range of health effects that have been postulated to be associated with the endogenous endocrine environment and the so-called endocrine disrupters. In addition, we will evaluate the relationship between several important physiological parameters which can be easily and accurately measured in serum, and physical characteristics including hair patterning and distribution of body fat in these African American men.
Previous studies have estabished pesticide exposure as a possible risk factor for childhood cancer. The Agricultural Health Study (AHS), a prospective cohort study of pesticide exposure among 51,000 pesticide applicators in North Carolina and Iowa, provides an opportunity to study childhood cancer incidence and mortality among the children of pesticide applicators. Name and dates of birth for 21,985 children were previously provided by adult participants in the AHS. The current study seeks to identify cases of cancer among these children through record linkage to state cancer and death registries. Cancer incidence and mortality within the cohort will be compared with national data through standardized incidence and mortality ratios. A limited case-cohort comparison of pesticide exposures will also be performed. Approximately 44 cases of childhood cancer are expected to be identified. No follow-up or contact with cases is anticipated. It is anticipated that the study results will provide insight into the relationship of pesticide and other farm exposures to the pathogenesis of childhood cancer.