Meeting Report: Occupational exposures in insecticide application and some pesticides

Pesticide biosensors: trends and progresses

Pesticides, chemical substances extensively employed in agriculture to optimize crop yields, pose potential risks to human and environmental health. Consequently, regulatory frameworks are in place to restrict pesticide residue concentrations in water intended for human consumption. These regulations are implemented to safeguard consumer safety and mitigate any adverse effects on the environment and public health. Although gas chromatography- and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS and LC-MS) are highly efficient techniques for pesticide quantification, their use is not suitable for real-time monitoring due to the need for sophisticated laboratory pretreatment of samples prior to analysis. Since they would enable analyte detection with selectivity and sensitivity without sample pretreatment, biosensors appear as a promising alternative. These consist of a bioreceptor allowing for specific recognition of the target and of a detection platform, which translates the biological interaction into a measurable signal. As early detection systems remain urgently needed to promptly alert and act in case of pollution, we review here the biosensors described in the literature for pesticide detection to advance their development for use in the field.

Putative interactions between transthyretin and endosulfan II and its relevance in breast cancer

The unregulated use of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) has been linked to spread of breast cancer (BC), but the underlying biomolecular interactions are unknown. Using a case-control study, we compared OCP blood levels and protein signatures among BC patients. Five pesticides were found in significantly higher concentrations in breast cancer patients than in healthy controls: p',p' dichloro diphenyl trichloroethane (DDT), p'p' dichloro diphenyl dichloroethane (DDD), endosulfan II, delta-hexachlorocyclohexane (dHCH), and heptachlor epoxide A (HTEA). According to the odds ratio analysis, these OCPs, which have been banned for decades, continue to raise the risk of cancer in Indian women. Proteomic analysis of plasma from estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer patients revealed 17 dysregulated proteins, but transthyretin (TTR) was three times higher than in healthy controls, which is further validated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). Molecular docking and molecular dynamics studies revealed a competitive affinity between endosulfan II and the thyroxine-binding site of TTR, pointing towards the significance of the competition between thyroxin and endosulfan, resulting in endocrine disruption leading to breast cancer. Our study sheds light on the putative role of TTR in OCP-mediated BC, but more research is needed to decipher the underlying mechanisms that can be used to prevent the carcinogenic effects of these pesticides on women's health.

Pesticide incidents reported to the Health and Safety Executive 1989/90- 1991/92

1. Data concerning pesticide incidents investigated by the Field Operations Division (FOD) of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in Great Britain have been collated for the three year period April 1989 to March 1992. Over this period the HSE investigated 613 incidents concerning pesticides: 338 related to general or environmental complaints not involving human poisoning and 275 were suspected poisoning incidents. 2. The two hundred and seventy-five suspected poisoning incidents were assessed by the Pesticide Incidents Appraisal Panel (PIAP) as 'confirmed', 'likely', 'unlikely', 'not confirmed', or that there were 'insufficient data' to make an assessment. Assessed data are unavailable for eight incidents reported in 1989. 3. Four hundred and eighteen members of the public were involved in 202 assessed incidents and 79 workers were exposed in 65 assessed incidents. Overall, 129 (48%) incidents were assessed as 'confirmed' or 'likely', 121 (45%) as 'unlikely' or 'not confirmed' and in 17 (6%) there were 'insufficient data' to form a judgement. Incidents occurring in an occupational setting were assessed as 'confirmed' or 'likely' more frequently (62%) than those involving members of the public (44%). 5. Thirty-six per cent of those involved in a 'confirmed' poisoning incident were working with a pesticide or were in close proximity to the operator; 41% were on private property adjacent to a field being sprayed and a further 23% involved those walking, cycling or jogging past a sprayed field.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)