Assessing pesticides exposures for residents living close to vineyards in France
Résumé
Residents living close to vineyards might be exposed to pesticides through non-occupational pathways including spray drift and volatilization of pesticides beyond the treated area. Due to the intrinsic toxicity of pesticides, the assessment of the related potential health consequences is a matter of necessity. However, few epidemiological studies have considered this population, and the exposure assessment is still a key issue. With regard to the latter, several approaches have been used for exposure characterization, including self-administered questionnaires, interviews and geographic information system (GIS) models. These indirect indicators of exposure are potential sources for inaccuracy due to subjects’ lack of knowledge about pesticide use, recall bias and errors in the real distance between homes and vineyards. Therefore, more refined measurements of pesticide exposure are needed in order to provide more specific exposure indicators for large-scale epidemiological health studies and to build appropriate prevention strategies for non-farmworker residents living close to vineyards. The aim of our study was to identify relevant exposure biomarkers for pesticides specifically used in vineyards, and to compare biomarker distributions between residents living close to vineyards and controls. The study population was based on a selection of 60 adults and 60 children, selected from of a national cross sectional survey (Esteban study) based on a representative sample (2 503 adults 18-74 y.o and 1 104 children 6-17 y.o) of the French population conducted between 2014-2016. It included 30 adults and 30 children living within 500 meters of vineyards and 30 adults and 30 children living at 2 kilometers or more of vineyards. Biomarkers of exposure to folpel (phthalimide, phthalic acid), tebuconazole (hydroxytebuconazole[TEB-OH]), mancozeb / metiram (ethylene thiourea[ETU], ethylene urea[EU]), and boscalid were measured in urine and hair samples collected among the study population. Descriptive statistics were run for each biomarker levels when detection rate was above 40%. Then two sample t-test was used to test whether log-transformed biomarker levels differed between residents living close to vineyards and controls. Phthalic acid was detected in all urinary samples, whereas phthalimide, ETU and EU were detected in nearly one sample in two. Tebuconazole, TEB-OH and boscalid were almost never detected in urinary samples. Comparisons between residents and controls showed slight differences in phthalimide (children) and ETU (adults) urinary levels. These results will be useful to define the best biomarker-matrix pairings and highlight requirements for future epidemiological studies in order to accurately measure pesticide spray-drift exposure in residents living close to vineyards.
Domaines
Sciences du Vivant [q-bio]Origine | Fichiers produits par l'(les) auteur(s) |
---|