Pesticide exposure and genotoxicity correlations within a Greek farmers’ group

Abstract

Humans are exposed to pesticides as a consequence of their use in fields or persistence in a variety of media, including air, water, soil, plants, and animals. The use of pesticides, to which humans are exposed, will possibly increase in the near future. This exposure has been related to several human diseases, including cancer. In the present study, we investigated whether occupational exposure to a complex mixture of pesticides is resulting in increased micronuclei (MN) frequency in peripheral blood lymphocytes. Exposed and control subjects were selected in southern Crete, where intensive use of pesticides is observed. Statistically significant differences in micronuclei frequencies in the studied groups were revealed from the obtained results. Comparison of MN frequencies on control and exposed subjects between smokers and non-smokers did not reveal any statistically significant differences. Further studies in other areas in Greece, enlarging the sample size and covering other farmer groups with different farming activities and levels of exposure, are needed to generalize the findings of this study.

Keywords:

• Pesticides
• Micronucleus assay
• Human lymphocytes
• Biomonitoring