Immune effects and exposure to ethylenebisdithiocarbamate pesticides in re-entry workers in the Netherlands

Ethylenebisdithiocarbamates are widely used as fungicides in agriculture. Although EBDC’s have a low acute toxicity, they are suspected to have immune effects at low doses. However, little human studies on these effects have been published. In the Netherlands, a study was conducted among pesticide e...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Human & experimental toxicology 2008-09, Vol.27 (9), p.693-699
Main Authors: van Amelsvoort, LGPM, Mohren, DCL, Slangen, JJ, Swaen, G, Corsini, E, Fustinoni, S, Vergieva, T, Bosetti, C, Liesivuori, J, Tarkowski, M, Colosio, C, van Loveren, H
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Agriculture
Biological and medical sciences
Educational Status
Ethylenebis(dithiocarbamates) - poisoning
Ethylenebis(dithiocarbamates) - urine
Ethylenethiourea - analysis
Farmworkers
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Fungicides, Industrial - poisoning
Fungicides, Industrial - urine
Human exposure
Humans
Immune System - drug effects
Immune System - physiopathology
Immunity - drug effects
Immunology
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Netherlands
Occupational Exposure - adverse effects
Occupational Exposure - analysis
Pesticides
Pesticides, fertilizers and other agrochemicals toxicology
Prospective Studies
Risk Assessment - methods
Surveys and Questionnaires
Time Factors
Toxicology
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Summary:Ethylenebisdithiocarbamates are widely used as fungicides in agriculture. Although EBDC’s have a low acute toxicity, they are suspected to have immune effects at low doses. However, little human studies on these effects have been published. In the Netherlands, a study was conducted among pesticide exposed workers aimed at evaluating the short-term and long-term immune effects of exposure and the relation between ethylenebisdithiocarbamate and immune effects. Forty-one re-entry workers and 40 nonexposed controls were medically examined; furthermore, immune parameters were determined in blood, and all participants filled in a questionnaire regarding exposure and outcome parameters. The level of ethylenethiourea in urine was determined as indicator of exposure. No relevant adverse immune effects were found in the pesticide exposed workers compared with the nonexposed controls. Also no exposure response relationship between immune effects and ethylenebisdithiocarbamate in urine was found. This finding might be due to very low exposure levels of the re-entry work but might also be due to a lack of immunotoxicity of ethylenebisdithiocarbamate at normal exposure levels.
ISSN:0960-3271
1477-0903
DOI:10.1177/0960327108100000