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Pesticide exposure and health related issues in male and female reproductive system. biomarkers of exposure and effects on pregnancy
Abstracts / Toxicology Letters 205S (2011) S2–S18
can be predicted by an additive toxicity approach. This is the case of organophosphates and methylcarbamates, which are different classes of insecticides that share a common mode of toxic action (inhibition of acetylcholinesterase). Dose addition assumes that the cumulative toxicity of the mixture can be estimated from the sum of the individual toxic potencies of each insecticide. However, not all mixtures of pesticides with similar chemical structures produce additive effects; thus, if they act on multiple sites their mixtures may produce different toxic effects. The additive approach often provides little insight into the toxicity produced by mixtures of pesticides from different classes where a clear pattern of synergism can be observed even at relatively low levels. The approach also fails when evaluating mixtures that involve a secondary chemical that changes the toxicokinetics of the pesticide as a result of its increased activation or decreased detoxication that is followed by an enhanced or reduced toxicity. This case is illustrated by carboxylesterases, enzymes involved in pyrethroids detoxification, which are inhibited by organophosphates so that pyrethroid toxicity is potentiated. doi:10.1016/j.toxlet.2011.05.020
S03-3 Biomonitoring as an essential tool for reliable assessment of pesticide exposure and of their effects on health J. Liesivuori University of Turku, Turku, Finland Pesticide toxicity must be thoroughly investigated before their official registration is possible in every country. However, in the scientific literature we see increasing the toxicity burden of even the safest pesticides applied for years. This is simlpy caused by the better study methods possible to develop using the modern technology. In toxicology research, significance of dose is well understood but unfortunately not the significance of exposure in human studies and risk assessment. However, there are many analytical methods available for biomonitoring giving the first signals of excessive exposure and drastic effects whether the exposure occurs at workplaces or at general environment. Pesticide metabolites are usually known from the standard studies conducted for every registered compound, which helps a lot for the development of biomonitoring methods. Simple analytical methods have been replaced by the most modern techniques demanding sophisticated expertise from skilful personnel. At the same time all over the world simple, quick and cheap methods are badly needed in order to increase the use of biomonitoring in occupational health surveillance activities. Now we are close to the situation where routine monitoring is not possible anymore because of time consuming sampling requirements and excessively costly analytical methods. doi:10.1016/j.toxlet.2011.05.021
S5
S03-4 Pesticide exposure and health related issues in male and female reproductive system. biomarkers of exposure and effects on pregnancy S. Sifakis 1 , A. Tsatsakis 2,∗ 1 Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Hospital of Heraklion, Heraklio/Greece, 2 Department of forensic Sciences and Toxicology, Medical School of Crete, Heraklion/Greece
Research results in animal and in vitro studies suggest that pesticides can adversely affect human male and female fertility, giving emphasis to semen quality and time to pregnancy (TTP). These published articles are related to cross sectional, case-control, longitudinal, retrospective and pilot studies concerning impaired semen quality, TTP and pregnancy outcomes. In these studies evidence, or little evidence, or no evidence of an association between pesticide exposure and sperm quality was found. Epidemiological reports. However, as fetal and neonate development is a multiplex process, based on the two methods of fertility evaluation, the semen quality analysis and TTP assessment suggested evidence of an association between exposure and semen quality impairment and conflicting results for exposure and TTP. As the evidence for impaired fecundity is strong in both in vivo and in vitro studies further investigation is required in order to optimise the research accuracy and to raise public awareness and concern. Studies of the impact of pesticides on fetus development and pregnancy outcome resulted to contradictory conclusions. Measurements of organophosphate metabolite levels in amniotic fluid and urine of pregnant women who undergone an amniocentesis for a variety of indications at the gestational age resulted in increased levels of DEDTP in cases when pre-terms infants and altered somatometric parameters of the neonate were observed. Even very recent data indicate an effect of pesticides exposure during pregnancy to the fetus growth, further investigation is required due to the fact that fetal and neonate development is a multiplex process. doi:10.1016/j.toxlet.2011.05.022
S03-5 Neurodevelopmental effects of pesticides—Evidence from epidemiological studies in children and adolescents M.F. Wilks Swiss Centre For Applied Human Toxicology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland Concerns over effects of organochlorine and organophosphorous insecticides on the developing brain have been expressed for many years, however, direct evidence from epidemiology studies has been limited and contradictory. This is partly due to the huge complexity of studies trying to identify causal relationships between pesticide exposure and neurodevelopmental outcomes. There needs to be adequate assessment of exposure, in particular with regard to specific periods of vulnerability to specific toxins. Of equal importance is the use of functional tests, which are appropriate to the question and to the study population, as well as demonstrating the required sensitivity, validity, consistency, reliability and stability. Confounders and effect modifiers may be important both at the individual level and in the environment. In recent years a number of prospective cohort studies have used biomarkers for pre- and post-natal pesticide levels as well as for
can be predicted by an additive toxicity approach. This is the case of organophosphates and methylcarbamates, which are different classes of insecticides that share a common mode of toxic action (inhibition of acetylcholinesterase). Dose addition assumes that the cumulative toxicity of the mixture can be estimated from the sum of the individual toxic potencies of each insecticide. However, not all mixtures of pesticides with similar chemical structures produce additive effects; thus, if they act on multiple sites their mixtures may produce different toxic effects. The additive approach often provides little insight into the toxicity produced by mixtures of pesticides from different classes where a clear pattern of synergism can be observed even at relatively low levels. The approach also fails when evaluating mixtures that involve a secondary chemical that changes the toxicokinetics of the pesticide as a result of its increased activation or decreased detoxication that is followed by an enhanced or reduced toxicity. This case is illustrated by carboxylesterases, enzymes involved in pyrethroids detoxification, which are inhibited by organophosphates so that pyrethroid toxicity is potentiated. doi:10.1016/j.toxlet.2011.05.020
S03-3 Biomonitoring as an essential tool for reliable assessment of pesticide exposure and of their effects on health J. Liesivuori University of Turku, Turku, Finland Pesticide toxicity must be thoroughly investigated before their official registration is possible in every country. However, in the scientific literature we see increasing the toxicity burden of even the safest pesticides applied for years. This is simlpy caused by the better study methods possible to develop using the modern technology. In toxicology research, significance of dose is well understood but unfortunately not the significance of exposure in human studies and risk assessment. However, there are many analytical methods available for biomonitoring giving the first signals of excessive exposure and drastic effects whether the exposure occurs at workplaces or at general environment. Pesticide metabolites are usually known from the standard studies conducted for every registered compound, which helps a lot for the development of biomonitoring methods. Simple analytical methods have been replaced by the most modern techniques demanding sophisticated expertise from skilful personnel. At the same time all over the world simple, quick and cheap methods are badly needed in order to increase the use of biomonitoring in occupational health surveillance activities. Now we are close to the situation where routine monitoring is not possible anymore because of time consuming sampling requirements and excessively costly analytical methods. doi:10.1016/j.toxlet.2011.05.021
S5
S03-4 Pesticide exposure and health related issues in male and female reproductive system. biomarkers of exposure and effects on pregnancy S. Sifakis 1 , A. Tsatsakis 2,∗ 1 Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Hospital of Heraklion, Heraklio/Greece, 2 Department of forensic Sciences and Toxicology, Medical School of Crete, Heraklion/Greece
Research results in animal and in vitro studies suggest that pesticides can adversely affect human male and female fertility, giving emphasis to semen quality and time to pregnancy (TTP). These published articles are related to cross sectional, case-control, longitudinal, retrospective and pilot studies concerning impaired semen quality, TTP and pregnancy outcomes. In these studies evidence, or little evidence, or no evidence of an association between pesticide exposure and sperm quality was found. Epidemiological reports. However, as fetal and neonate development is a multiplex process, based on the two methods of fertility evaluation, the semen quality analysis and TTP assessment suggested evidence of an association between exposure and semen quality impairment and conflicting results for exposure and TTP. As the evidence for impaired fecundity is strong in both in vivo and in vitro studies further investigation is required in order to optimise the research accuracy and to raise public awareness and concern. Studies of the impact of pesticides on fetus development and pregnancy outcome resulted to contradictory conclusions. Measurements of organophosphate metabolite levels in amniotic fluid and urine of pregnant women who undergone an amniocentesis for a variety of indications at the gestational age resulted in increased levels of DEDTP in cases when pre-terms infants and altered somatometric parameters of the neonate were observed. Even very recent data indicate an effect of pesticides exposure during pregnancy to the fetus growth, further investigation is required due to the fact that fetal and neonate development is a multiplex process. doi:10.1016/j.toxlet.2011.05.022
S03-5 Neurodevelopmental effects of pesticides—Evidence from epidemiological studies in children and adolescents M.F. Wilks Swiss Centre For Applied Human Toxicology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland Concerns over effects of organochlorine and organophosphorous insecticides on the developing brain have been expressed for many years, however, direct evidence from epidemiology studies has been limited and contradictory. This is partly due to the huge complexity of studies trying to identify causal relationships between pesticide exposure and neurodevelopmental outcomes. There needs to be adequate assessment of exposure, in particular with regard to specific periods of vulnerability to specific toxins. Of equal importance is the use of functional tests, which are appropriate to the question and to the study population, as well as demonstrating the required sensitivity, validity, consistency, reliability and stability. Confounders and effect modifiers may be important both at the individual level and in the environment. In recent years a number of prospective cohort studies have used biomarkers for pre- and post-natal pesticide levels as well as for