Farming, pesticide exposure and respiratory health: a cross-sectional study in Thailand
File(s)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Ratanachina, Jate
Amaral, Andre
De Matteis, Sara
Cullinan, Paul
Burney, Peter
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Objective: To assess the association of lung function and respiratory symptoms with farming, particularly pesticide use, in an agricultural province in Thailand.
Methods: We undertook a cross-sectional survey of adults aged 40–65 in Nan province, Thailand, between May and August 2019. We randomly recruited 345 villagers and enriched the sample with 82 government employees. All participants performed post-bronchodilator spirometry and completed a questionnaire covering information on respiratory symptoms, farming activities, pesticide use and known risk factors for respiratory disease. Associations of respiratory outcomes with farming and pesticide exposures were examined by multivariable regression analysis.
Results: The response rate was 94%. The prevalence of chronic airflow obstruction among villagers was 5.5%. Villagers had, on average, a lower percent predicted post-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in one second/forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) than government employees (98.3% vs 100.3%; p=0.04). There was no evidence of association of lung function with farming activities, the use of specific herbicides (glyphosate and paraquat), insecticides (organophosphates and pyrethroids) or fungicides. The exceptions were poultry farming, associated with chronic cough and an increase of FEV1/FVC, and atrazine, for which duration (p-trend <0.01), intensity (p-trend <0.01) and cumulative hours (p-trend=0.01) of use were all associated with higher FEV1/FVC in an exposure–response manner. Cumulative hours (−280 mL/hour), low duration (−270 mL/year) and intensity (−270 mL/hour/year) of atrazine use were associated with lower FVC.
Conclusions: Chronic airflow obstruction is uncommon among villagers of an agricultural province in Nan, Thailand. Farming and pesticide use are unlikely to be major causes of respiratory problems there.
Methods: We undertook a cross-sectional survey of adults aged 40–65 in Nan province, Thailand, between May and August 2019. We randomly recruited 345 villagers and enriched the sample with 82 government employees. All participants performed post-bronchodilator spirometry and completed a questionnaire covering information on respiratory symptoms, farming activities, pesticide use and known risk factors for respiratory disease. Associations of respiratory outcomes with farming and pesticide exposures were examined by multivariable regression analysis.
Results: The response rate was 94%. The prevalence of chronic airflow obstruction among villagers was 5.5%. Villagers had, on average, a lower percent predicted post-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in one second/forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) than government employees (98.3% vs 100.3%; p=0.04). There was no evidence of association of lung function with farming activities, the use of specific herbicides (glyphosate and paraquat), insecticides (organophosphates and pyrethroids) or fungicides. The exceptions were poultry farming, associated with chronic cough and an increase of FEV1/FVC, and atrazine, for which duration (p-trend <0.01), intensity (p-trend <0.01) and cumulative hours (p-trend=0.01) of use were all associated with higher FEV1/FVC in an exposure–response manner. Cumulative hours (−280 mL/hour), low duration (−270 mL/year) and intensity (−270 mL/hour/year) of atrazine use were associated with lower FVC.
Conclusions: Chronic airflow obstruction is uncommon among villagers of an agricultural province in Nan, Thailand. Farming and pesticide use are unlikely to be major causes of respiratory problems there.
Date Issued
2021-06-23
Date Acceptance
2021-06-09
Citation
Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2021, 79 (1)
ISSN
1351-0711
Publisher
BMJ Publishing Group
Journal / Book Title
Occupational and Environmental Medicine
Volume
79
Issue
1
Copyright Statement
© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.
License URL
Identifier
https://oem.bmj.com/content/79/1/38
Subjects
Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Agriculture
Developing countries
Farmers
Pesticides
Respiratory Function Tests
OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY-DISEASE
LUNG-FUNCTION
OCCUPATIONAL-EXPOSURE
RISK-FACTORS
COPD
FARMERS
PREVALENCE
SPIROMETRY
Agriculture
Developing countries
Farmers
Pesticides
Respiratory Function Tests
Adult
Agriculture
Cough
Cross-Sectional Studies
Dyspnea
Farmers
Female
Government Employees
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Occupational Exposure
Pesticides
Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive
Respiratory Function Tests
Respiratory Sounds
Spirometry
Surveys and Questionnaires
Thailand
Humans
Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive
Cough
Dyspnea
Respiratory Sounds
Pesticides
Respiratory Function Tests
Spirometry
Cross-Sectional Studies
Occupational Exposure
Agriculture
Adult
Middle Aged
Thailand
Female
Male
Surveys and Questionnaires
Farmers
Government Employees
1103 Clinical Sciences
1117 Public Health and Health Services
1599 Other Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services
Environmental & Occupational Health
Publication Status
Published online
Date Publish Online
2021-06-23