Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Recently, Mansour (2010) analyzed the pattern of intoxication based on the data obtained
from different poison control centers (PCCs) in Egypt. He estimated the total acute intoxi-
cation to be as much as 48,000 cases annually, including about 7200 cases (~15%) of pesti-
cide poisoning. This means that acute poisoning at present accounts for 61 persons/100,000
capita. Contribution of acute pesticide poisoning (APP), mainly by cholinesterase inhibi-
tors, represents approximately 9.2/100,000 in the general population and doubles if related
to the country's workforce dependent on the agricultural subsector. However, the author
stated that the above-mentioned data does not reflect the overall figure of poisoning in
Egypt, since the data of the other poison control services are not included due to unavail-
ability and/or underreporting. The reasons for underreporting are many. In some areas,
people suffering from acute poisoning may lack access to medical care and may not even
report the illness to the medical system (WHO 2004). Studies in developed countries have
demonstrated the annual incidence rate of APP in agricultural workers to be as much as
18.2/100,000 persons (Calvert et al. 2004). For many reasons, the incidences are expected to
be higher in developing countries.
A number of studies on workers occupationally exposed to pesticides in Egypt were car-
ried out by many investigators. The hazard of exposure to the OP insecticide phosfolan was
estimated in terms of the amount of the insecticide retained on the workmen's body pads
during field spraying and the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition in the red blood cells
(Soliman et al. 1979). The authors found that the toxic dose received every spraying day
by each worker varied with the type of job. The body of the mixer received the maximum
exposure with 10-12-fold that of the assistants. The highly exposed group of workers suf-
fered from 31% to 44% AChE inhibition in RBCs. About half of the inhibited enzyme activ-
ity recovered after 48h, and then it took more than 3-4 weeks to reach complete recovery.
Two spray men occupationally working in public health in Alexandria city, Egypt, expe-
rienced acute toxicity resulting from exposure to diazinon (60% EC). AChE activity showed
a marked reduction up to 18 days after exposure, and then the enzyme activity was recov-
ered 20-28 days after the poisoning incident. The diazinon that was stored in tin-plated
sheet steel containers was found to be completely converted into diazinon transformation
products, which are much more toxic than diazinon (Soliman et al. 1982).
A study was conducted to evaluate the impact on the health of workers exposed to
pesticides in large- and small-scale Egyptian formulation plants (Amr and Halim 1997).
Dermatitis and neuropsychiatry manifestations were the most prevalent health effects in
this exposed population, compared with the controls, especially in workers with a longer
duration of employment.
In a study at Sharkia Governorate, a total of 150 workers occupationally exposed to
pesticides and 50 control subjects were subjected to clinical and dermatological exami-
nations, patch tests, tests of liver and renal functions, and complete blood count, blood
sugar, and urine analysis. Activities of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase,
glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione reductase were also evaluated (Amer et al. 2002).
Dermatological findings were positive in 78%, 76%, and 54% of the workers exposed to
OP, pyrethroid, and Carbamate (CM) pesticides, respectively. The patch test was positive
in 70% of the workers exposed to pyrethroids and 64% exposed to CM pesticides. Liver
enzyme levels were generally increased in the workers, while the antioxidant enzyme
activity was significantly decreased in all the workers compared with the controls.
In a study at Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate, Egypt, involving 240 individuals, pesticide
applicators (PAs) had greater reduction of semen quality compared with nonfarm workers
(NFWs). Also, biochemical markers (e.g., uric acid, urea, creatinine, and aspartate amino-
transferase (AST)) in PAs were near the upper limits of the normal range (Attia 2005).
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