Exposure to heavy metals due to pesticide use by vineyard farmers

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Web End = Int Arch Occup Environ Health (2015) 88:875880 DOI 10.1007/s00420-014-1010-1

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

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Web End = Exposure to heavy metals due to pesticide use by vineyard farmers

Gustavo Henrique Oliveira Rocha Renata Sano Lini Fernando Barbosa Jr. Bruno Lemos Batista

Vanessa Cristina de Oliveira Souza Samuel Botio Nerilo Erika Bando Simone Aparecida Galerani Mossini Paula Nishiyama

Abstract

Objectives To statistically analyze serum heavy metal levels in biological samples obtained from vineyard workers from southern Brazil and check for heavy metal exposure due to pesticide use.

Methods Serum samples were obtained from 54 farmers and 108 healthy unexposed individuals. Samples from the same farmers were obtained at three different time points over a 1-year period. Levels of lead, arsenic, nickel, zinc, manganese and copper were determined for each sample using dynamic reaction cell inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (DRC-ICP-MS). All results were statistically analyzed using the nonparametric KruskalWallis test (followed by Dunns post hoc test).

Results Results showed that serum heavy metal levels in farmers were twofold to fourfold higher than in controls. This difference was found for all heavy metals tested and was signicant (p < 0.05). Serum metal levels among the farmers also correlated with the frequency of use of pesticides at a specic time of year, which varied according

Received: 9 June 2014 / Accepted: 2 December 2014 / Published online: 31 December 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014

to seasonal conditions inuencing the need for pesticide application.

Conclusions It can be concluded that in the vineyard region assessed, farmers were more susceptible to heavy metal exposure due to pesticide use.

Keywords Viticulture Pesticides Heavy metals

Occupational exposure

Introduction

Brazil is one of the worlds largest grape producers. In 2012, Brazilian grape production was approximately 1,455,809 tons. Together with the states of Rio Grande do Sul, Pernambuco and So Paulo, the southern state of Paran is a leading grape producer in Brazil. Also in 2012, Paran alone harvested 70,500 tons of grapes (Alves et al. 2013;Mello 2013). This level of crop production, as is the case for any other crop in Brazil, is...