Figures
- Figure 1.
Results of searches, screening and data extraction.
Tables
- Table 1. Pesticide exposure and asthma in adults
First author [ref.] Asthma definition Exposure metric Co-exposures OR (95% CI) Beard [15] Self-reported asthma Board of Tick Control (NSW, Australia) records used to estimate type of chemical and duration of exposure estimates Agricultural environment, cattle 1.59 (1.05–2.43) Boers[16] Self-reported, doctor-diagnosed asthma Job history of exposure to pesticides (yes/no) Agricultural environment (for some participants) 0.41 (0.15–1.11) Urinary markers 1.18 (0.93–1.50) Chakraborty [17] Self-reported, doctor-diagnosed asthma Split into regular sprayers (at least 1 h a day, 5 days per month for 5 years) or occasional sprayers Agricultural environment 1.34 (1.09–1.79) Faria [18] Symptoms of asthma (≥2 episodes of wheezing with shortness of breath in lifetime) Apply pesticides >3 days per month versus no exposure Agricultural environment, cattle, birds, horses 2.12 (1.19–3.75) Hoppin [9] Self-reported, doctor-diagnosed, adult-onset asthma Use of any pesticide, lifetime total years of pesticide use and frequency Agricultural environment 1.46 (1.14–1.87)# 1.00 (0.82–1.22)¶ Hoppin [10] Self-reported, doctor-diagnosed, adult-onset asthma History of high pesticide exposure events Agricultural environment 1.98 (1.30–2.99)# 1.96 (1.49–2.56)¶ Nriagu [19] Self-reported doctor-diagnosed asthma Use of insecticides in the home Unknown 3.67 (1.19–11.3) Schenker [20] Self-reported diagnosed asthma ever Paraquat exposure using a cumulative paraquat exposure index Agricultural environment (banana, coffee and palm oil) 1.60 (0.9–3.0) Zhang [21] Self-reported attack of asthma in last 12 months Self-reports of insecticide exposure Outdoor agricultural worker, biomass fuel burning 1.9 (1.3–2.9) Huang [22] Lung function testing and symptom reporting Exposure measured based on job title and air monitoring Unknown NR Jones [23] Death from asthma or other respiratory problems Employment in relevant industry Unknown Mortality study, NR. Asthma was not reported as a separate outcome Yemaneberhan [24] Self-reported asthma, wheezing or cough Self-reported exposure questionnaire Considered and included smoking and atopy The results of children and adults were not reported separately #: atopic asthma; ¶: nonatopic asthma. NR: not reported.
- Table 2. Pesticide exposure and asthma in children
First author [ref.] Asthma definition Exposure metric Co-exposures OR (95% CI) Salam [25] Doctor-diagnosed asthma Self-reported farm-related exposures to crops, dusts, animals, herbicides and pesticides in first year of life Crops, dusts, animals 2.39 (1.17–4.89) Salameh [26] Self-reported, doctor-diagnosed asthma Any exposure to pesticides Dust, animals 1.73 (1.02–2.96) Sunyer [27] Doctor-diagnosed asthma at age 4 years Cord blood and blood samples Unknown 1.46# (0.92–2.32) Sunyer [28] Doctor-diagnosed asthma at age 6.5 years Cord blood and blood samples aged 4 years Unknown 1.18 (1.01–1.39) Weselak [29] Self-reported, doctor-diagnosed asthma Any exposure to pesticides during pregnancy Farm environment 1.00 (0.71–1.40) #: risk ratio.
- Table 3. Pesticide exposure and wheeze in adults
First author [ref.] Wheeze definition Exposure metric Co-exposures OR (95% CI) Boers [16] Self-reported wheeze Job history of exposure to pesticides (yes/no) Agricultural environment (for some subjects) 0.56 (0.32–0.98) Urinary markers 0.99 (0.87–1.13) Chakraborty [17] Self-reported wheeze ≥50 cholinesterase inhibition Agricultural environment 2.9 (2.1–4.2) Nriagu [19] Self-reported “having a wheezy chest” Use of insecticides in the home Unknown 2.52 (1.19–5.34) Schenker [20] Self-reported persistent wheeze Paraquat exposure using a cumulative paraquat exposure index Agricultural environment (banana, coffee and palm oil) 1.1 (0.7–1.6) Sprince [30] Self-reported “ever being wheezy” Self-reports of applying pesticides to livestock Agricultural environment 3.92 (1.76–8.72) Zhang [21] Self-reported wheeze in last 12 months Self-reports of insecticide exposure Outdoor agricultural worker, biomass fuel burning 1.8 (1.2–2.6) Hoppin [11] Self-reported wheeze in the last 12 months Self-reported questionnaire Agricultural environment No ORs were calculated for “any exposure to pesticides” compared to “no pesticide exposure” Hoppin [12] Self-reported wheeze in the last 12 months Questionnaire of work practices and exposure Agricultural environment No ORs were calculated for “any exposure to pesticides” compared to “no pesticide exposure” Hoppin [13] Self-reported wheeze in the last 12 months Self-reported questionnaire Agricultural environment No ORs were calculated for “any exposure to pesticides” compared to “no pesticide exposure” Hoppin [10] Doctor-diagnosed asthma after age 20 years Metric of lifetime pesticide use Agricultural environment An OR for wheeze and pesticide exposure was not calculated Huang [22] Lung function testing and symptom reporting Job title and air monitoring Unknown No ORs were calculated Yemaneberhan [24] Self-reported asthma, wheezing or cough Self-reported exposure questionnaire Unknown The results of children and adults were not reported separately, no OR are included - Table 4. Pesticide exposure and wheeze in children
First author [ref.] Asthma definition Exposure metric Co-exposures OR (95% CI) Salameh [26] Self-reported recurrent wheezing Any exposure to pesticides Dust, animals 2.10 (1.39–3.18) Sunyer [27] Wheeze at 4 years Cord blood and blood samples in nonatopic children Unknown 1.37# (1.06–1.79) Sunyer [28] Wheeze at age 6.5 years Cord blood and blood samples aged 4 years Unknown 1.13 (1.03–1.39) Yemaneberhan [24] Self-reported asthma, wheezing or cough Self-reported exposure questionnaire Unknown The results of children and adults were not reported separately, so no ORs are included #: risk ratio.
- Table 5. Pesticide exposure and bronchitis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in adults
First author [ref.] Bronchitis definition Exposure metric Co-exposures OR (95% CI) Beard [15] Self-reported bronchitis Board of Tick Control (NSW, Australia) records estimating type of chemical and duration of exposure estimates Agricultural environment, cattle 1.32 (0.87–2.01) Chakraborty [17] Self-reported bronchitis with >50% cholinesterase inhibition Split into regular sprayers (at least 1 h per day, 5 days per month for 5 years) or occasional sprayers Agricultural environment 4.1 (2.2–6.3) Chakraborty [17] COPD using GOLD method and >50% cholinesterase inhibition Split into regular sprayers (at least an hour per day, 5 days per month for 5 years) or occasional sprayers Agricultural environment 1.59 (1.32–2.28) Faria [18] Self-reported chronic respiratory disease Apply pesticides >2 days per month versus no exposure Agricultural environment, cattle, birds, horses 1.05 (0.74–1.51) Hoppin [14] Doctor-diagnosed bronchitis High pesticide exposure event Agriculture environment 1.85 (1.51–2.25) Schenker [20] Self-reported bronchitis Paraquat exposure using a cumulative paraquat exposure index Agricultural environment (banana, coffee and palm oil) 1.30 (0.9–2.0) Jones [23] Death certificates Employment in relevant industry Unknown Mortality study, therefore no OR
Bronchitis was not reported as a separate outcomeGOLD: Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease.
- Table 6. Lung function measurements in adults
First author [ref.] Exposure metric Measure Control group Study group p-value Mean±sd Mean±se Mean±sem Mean±sd Mean±se Mean±sem Chakraborty [17] Organophosphate and carbamate sprayers FVC L 2.58±0.83 2.23±0.9 <0.0001 FEV1 L 2.36±0.9 1.94±0.8 <0.0001 FEV1/FVC % 91.5±14.1 87.0±15.5 <0.0001 Huang [22] TCPN production FVC L 3.56±0.71 3.39±0.57 >0.05 FEV1 L·s−1 2.94±0.66 2.29±0.95 <0.05 FEV1/FVC % 83.7±8.7 72.8±11.8 <0.01 Schenker [20] Paraquat exposure using a cumulative paraquat exposure index FVC % predicted 101.6±1.1 101.3±0.8 0.83 FEV1 % predicted 105.3±1.1 106.0±0.8 0.61 FEV1/FVC % 81.4±0.6 81.8±0.4 0.54 Senanayake [31] Paraquat sprayers and mixer-loaders FVC L Group 1: 3.42±0.06; group 2: 3.49±0.06 3.48±0.06 NS FEV1 L Group 1: 2.76±0.06; group 2: 2.82±0.06 2.82±0.05 NS FEV1/FVC % Group 1: 80.67±1.10; group 2: 80.98±1.03 80.89±0.98 NS TCPN: tetrachloroisophthalonitrile (chlorothalonil); FVC: forced vital capacity; FEV1: forced expiratory volume in 1 s; NS: nonsignificant.
Vol 23 Issue 132
Table of Contents
Is pesticide exposure a cause of obstructive airways disease?
