Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
16.5.15  Melanoma
A high incidence of melanoma among farmers had been known for a long time; however,
it was not clear whether this was exclusively caused by exposure to the sunlight during
outdoor work, or perhaps other environmental factors may also play a role (Blair 1982).
First epidemiological data linking the increased risk for melanoma with DDT exposure
originated from studies of Eastern German pesticide applicators (Barthel 1985). Two recent
studies link melanoma with the exposure to maneb, mancozeb, parathion, and carbaryl;
each pesticide causing an increase in the risk for developing melanoma by more than 50
times (Dennis et al. 2010). Pesticide-related risk for melanoma may also be increased in
people exposed to pesticides during home use (Fortes et al. 2007).
16.6 Concluding Remarks
This review clearly demonstrates that the skin is not a mere “gate of entry” for the pesticides
to cause internal damage, but a living organ that is first affected by their biological effects and
moreover, is involved in the metabolism of pesticides. This strengthens the need for aban-
doning the misnomer “dermal toxicity” that is improperly used by many authors referring,
in fact, to systemic toxicity of dermally absorbed pesticides while overlooking the damage
caused to the skin itself. After discussing the spectrum of adverse skin reactions to pesticides,
one has to remember that some pesticides, such as lindane or pyrethrin, have also been used
in the treatment of skin diseases, especially those caused by arthopods (e.g., lice, demodicosis,
etc.). Like with any drug, adverse skin reactions may develop to pesticide-containing medical
preparations, including burns to phenothrin in antilice lotions (Choudhary 1999) or ulcerative
ICD from lindane in antiscabies lotion (Yu et al. 2005).
Acknowledgment
This study was financed in part by the Statutory Grant No. K/ZDS/001906 of the
Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland.
References
Ali, N. and Oehme, F. W. 1992. A literature review of dermatotoxicity. Vet. Hum. Toxicol. 34: 428-437.
Baran, R. L. 1974. Nail damage caused by weed killers and insecticides. Arch. Dermatol. 110: 467.
Barriere, H., Gerault, C., Bureau, B., and Mousset, S. 1985. Acne chlorique par manipulation
d'herbicides. Ann. Dermatol. Venereol. 112: 369-370.
Barthel, E. 1985. Erhöhte Mortalität an Ösophaguskrebs, Magenkrebs und Hautmelanom bei Pestizid
exponierten Schädlingsbekämpfern in der DDR. Arch. Geschwulstforsch 55: 481-488.
Basketter, D. A., Jefferies, D., Safford, B. J., et al. 2006. The impact of exposure variables on the induc-
tion of skin sensitization. Contact Dermatitis 55: 178-185.
 
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