Artículos científicos

URI permanente para esta colecciónhttp://10.0.96.45:4000/handle/11056/14755

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Evaluation of a battery of toxicity tests for use in the assessment of water quality in a Costa Rican laboratory
(Wiley Periodicals, Estados Unidos, 2000) Castillo, Luisa Eugenia; Pinnock, Margareth; Martínez, Eduardo
The Laboratory for Ecotoxicological Studies (ECOTOX) of IRET evaluated the following toxicity tests: Daphnia magna (daphnia test), Hydra attenuata (hydra test), Allium sp. (onion test), Panagrellus redivivus (nematode test), Lactuca sativa (seed test), and the Fluctuation kit. Selection criteria were that the tests should be sensitive to a range of different toxicants, reliable, and preferably of low cost. The tests were evaluated for their reproducibility and sensitivity with 24 blind samples which contained metals, pesticides, and other organic compounds. The hydra, seed, and onion tests were more reproducible when evaluated with a set of samples of a mixture of cadmium and metolachlor. Daphnia and hydra were the most sensitive organisms in our laboratory using mortality or reduction in growth as endpoints. Sublethal effects in the hydra test were useful to detect additional effects. Lettuce seeds and onions performed better than the nematode test for pesticides and other organic compounds. For metals the nematode test was more sensitive than the seed and onion tests. Environmental water samples collected in a banana plantation area were tested with the hydra and seed assays. The hydra test was more sensitive to the pollutants present in these samples. Reproduction in the hydra test was measured as an additional endpoint and differences with the control were observed. This study concluded that short-term bioassays such as daphnia, hydra, seed, and onion tests are promising for screening water quality.
Acute health effects of organophosphorus pesticides on Tanzanian small-scale coffee growers
(Nature Publishing Group, 2001-07-01) Ngowi, Aiwerasia; Maeda, David; Partanen, Timo; Sanga, Michael
A cute health effects of organophosphorus (PP) pesticides on coffee farmworkers in 1991-1992 in Tanzania are reported to provide a basis for concern over farmworkers being overexposed during application. Workers exposed to OP pesticides (N = 133) were drawn from a population of about 240,000 coffee farmers. They were interviewed on symptoms and personal protection, and their erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase (ACHE) activity was determined during both spraying and nonspraying period. AChE activities during spraying and nonspraying period were comparable (mean 32.0, SD 7.8 vs. 33.0, SD 8.7 U/g HgB, P = 0.26). The prevalence of cough, headache, abdominal pain, excessive sweating, nausea, excessive salivation, diarrhea, and vomiting did not differ significantly between spraying and nonspraying periods. There was no suggestion of decreased AChE in exposed subjects who complained of OP-related symptoms compared to symptomless exposed subjects. Use of gloves, long boots, head cover, face cover, and coverall was not significantly associated with AChE activity. No marked AChE depression was found during spraying season, which may explain the lack of association between symptoms and ACHE. The fact that only moderately toxic OP pesticides were used may indicate that toxicity was not sufficiently high to cause depression. Experience, however, suggests that occupational poisoning remains a potential serious danger in coffee cultivation in Tanzania.
Central nervous system tumours in children in Costa Rica: 1981–96
(Blackwell Science, 2002) Reutfors, Johan; Kramárová, Eva; Weiderpass, Elisabete; Monge, Patricia; Wesseling, Catharina; Ahlbom, Anders
Incidence rates of malignant central nervous system (CNS) tumours in children in Costa Rica are presented in an international perspective. For the 16-year period 1981–96, a total of 256 CNS tumours were registered in children below age 15 years by the National Tumour Registry of Costa Rica. The age-standardised incidence rate was 15.2 per million person–years, with a male-to-female ratio of 1.4. The median age-standardised incidence rates of selected registries in other Latin American countries were 19.3, in other developing countries 12.0 and in industrialised countries 29.6 per million person–years. The comparatively low incidence rates in Costa Rica were evident in all diagnostic subgroups, most notably in the youngest age group and for tumours in the brain stem. In the Central Valley, where the capital and the only specialised paediatric hospital are situated, the crude incidence rate was 18.1 [95% CI 15.1, 21.1] compared with 10.5 [95% CI 8.3, 12.8] per million person–years in the rest of the country (RR = 1.7, 95% CI 1.3, 2.3). There was no evidence of any increase over time. The data in this study cannot exclude under-diagnosis and, to a lesser degree, under-registration as a partial explanation of the low incidence rates of malignant CNS tumours in children in Costa Rica.
Mortality and Cancer Incidence of Workers in Finnish Road Paving Companies
(Wiley-Liss, Inc., 2003) Kauppinen, Timo; Heikkila, Pirjo; Partanen, Timo; Virtanen, Simo V.; Pukkala, Eero; Burstyn, Igor; Ferro, Gilles; Boffetta, Paolo
Background This study, a component of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Multicentric Study on Cancer Risk Among European Asphalt Workers, aimed at identifying major mortality risks among workers in Finnish road paving companies. Methods The Finnish cohort was comprised of 9,643 men and women from six road paving companies. The mortality of men employed during at least one season (5, 676) was followed up from 1964 until end of 1994; an average of 17 years. Standardized mortality ratios (SMR) and relative risks (RR), the latter based on multivariate Poisson regression models were estimated by occupational group and by various metrics of occupational exposures. Results All-cause mortality was elevated (SMR 1.11, 95% confidence interval, CI 1.03-1.20), mainly due to excesses in accidents, poisonings, and violence (1.29; CI 1.12-1.49), and lung cancer (1.38; 1.03-1.81). Workers exposed to bitumen fumes had a slightly elevated mortality from lung cancer (1.16; 0.69-1.83). Multivariate Poisson regression models with 15-year lag period suggested trends by cumulative exposure to coal tar, organic vapors, silica dust, diesel exhaust, and bitumen fume. Conclusions The elevated mortality from external causes among Finnish building/ground construction workers was probably due to living conditions and related lifestyles. Some evidence was found for a risk of lung cancer due to occupational exposure, but the confirmation of these findings would require a longer follow-up and improved control for confounding. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Workplace Carcinogen and Pesticide Exposures in Costa Rica
(Taylor & Francis, 2003) Partanen, Timo; Chaves, Jorge; Wesseling, Catharina; Chaverri, Fabio; Monge, Patricia; Ruepert, Clemens; Aragón, Aurora; Kogevinas, Manolis; Hogstedt, Christer; Kauppinen, Timo
The CAREX data system converts national workforce volumes and proportions of workers exposed to workplace carcinogens into numbers of exposed in 55 industrial categories. CAREX was adapted for Costa Rica for 27 carcinogens and seven groups of pesticides. Widespread workplace carcinogens in the 1.3 million workforce of Costa Rica are solar radiation (333,000 workers), diesel engine exhaust (278,000), environmental tobacco smoke (71,000), hexavalent chromium compounds (55,000), benzene (52,000), wood dust (32,000), silica dust (27,000), lead and inorganic lead compounds (19,000), and polycyclic aromatic compounds (17,000). The most ubiquitous pesticides were paraquat and diquat (175,000), mancozeb, maneb, and zineb (49,000), chlorothalonil (38,000), benomyl (19,000), and chloro-phenoxy herbicides (11,000). Among women, formal-dehyde, radon, and methylene chloride overrode pesticides, chromium, wood dust, and silica dust in numbers of exposed. High-risk sectors included agriculture, construction, personal and household services, land and water transport and allied services, pottery and similar industries, woodworks, mining, forestry and logging, fishing, manufacturing of electrical machinery, and bar and restaurant personnel.
Occupational Exposures and Gastrointestinal Cancers Among Finnish Women
(Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2003-03) Weiderpass, Elisabete; Vainio, Harri; Kauppinen, Timo; Vasama-Neuvonen, Kaisa; Partanen, Timo; pukkala, eero
A cohort including all female workers born 1906 through 1945 (n = 413,877) in Finland was identified through the Population Census of Finland of 1970. Incident cases of cancers of the gastrointestinal tract were explored during 1971 to 1995. Job titles in census records were converted to exposures of 31 occupational agents through a job-exposure matrix. For each agent, the product of level and probability of exposures was calculated and subdivided in three categories: zero, low and medium/high. Poisson regression models estimated relative risks (RR) for each agent, standardized for birth cohort, follow-up period, and socioeconomic status. Adjustment at job title level was done for alcohol use for cancers of the esophagus and liver and smoking for pancreatic cancer. The results showing either statistically significant RR at the medium/high level of exposure (RRH) or statistically significant trend (P < 0.05) over the exposure categories were considered as positive findings. Colon cancer risk (2009 cases) was positively associated with sedentary work (RRH 1.3, 95% CI = 1.1–1.6;P trend 0.001) and negatively associated with perceived workload (P trend = 0.007). For stomach cancer (1881 cases), we observed an association with exposure to electromagnetic fields (RRH 1.44, 95% CI = 1.01–2.05) and man-made vitreous fibers (MMVF) (p trend 0.03). Rectal cancer (1323 cases) showed an association with chromium (RRH 1.9, 95% CI = 1.2–3.1) and oil mist (RR 2.0; 95% CI = 1.0–3.9). For pancreas cancer (1302 cases) we found associations with exposure to chromium (RRH 1.8; 95% CI = 1.0–3.1;P trend 0.01), electromagnetic fields (RRH 1.8; 95% CI = 1.2–2.8;P trend 0.02), and sedentary work (RRH 1.3; 95% CI = 1.0–1.7;P trend 0.05). We found no significant associations between any FINJEM agents and cancers of the esophagus (389 cases), liver (389 cases), and gallbladder (651 cases). Having examined the associations between seven cancer sites and over 30 exposures there exists the real possibility that some of the associations detected are chance findings. Therefore, the associations observed should need to be confirmed in other studies.
Social context for workplace health promotion: feasibility considerations in Costa Rica, Finland, Germany, Spain and Sweden
(Oxford Academic, 2003-06-01) Peltomäki, Päivi; Johansson, Mauri; Ahrens, Wolfgang; Sala, Maria; Wesseling, Catharina; Brenes, Freddy; Font, Carme; Husman, Kaj; Janer, Gemma; Kallas-Tarpila, Tarja; Kogevinas, Manolis; Loponen, Minna; Dolors Solé, María; Tempel, Jürgen; Vasama-Neuvonen, Kaisa; Partanen, Timo
We constructed a simple, flexible procedure that facilitates the pre-assessment of feasibility of workplace health promotion (WHP) programmes. It evaluates cancer hazards, workers’ need for hazard reduction, acceptability of WHP, and social context. It was tested and applied in 16 workplace communities and among 1085 employees in industry, construction, transport, services, teaching and municipal works in Costa Rica, Finland, Germany, Spain and Sweden. Social context is inseparable from WHP. It covers workers’ organizations and representatives, management, safety committees, occupational health services, health and safety enforcement agencies, general health services, nongovernment organizations, insurance systems, academic and other institutions, regulatory stipulations pertaining WHP, and material resources. Priorities, risk definitions, attitudes, hazard profiles, motivations and assessment methods were highly contextual. Management preferred passive interventions, helping cover expert costs, participating in planning and granting time. Trade unions, workers’ representatives, safety committees and occupational health services appeared to be important operational partners. Occupational health services may however be loaded with curative and screening functions or be non-existent. We advocate participatory, multifaceted WHP based on the needs and empowerment of the workers themselves, integrating occupational and lifestyle hazards. Workforce in irregular and shift work, in agriculture, in small enterprises, in the informal sector, and immigrant, seasonal and temporary workers represent groups in need of particular strategies such as community health promotion. In a more general framework, social context itself may become a target for intervention.
Determinants of dermal exposure among Nicaraguan subsistence farmers during pesticide applications with backpack sprayers
(British Occupational Hygiene Society, 2005) Blanco, Luis; Aragón, Aurora; Lundberg, Ingvar; Lidén, Carola; Wesseling, Catharina; Nise, Gun
Identification of pesticide exposure determinants has become an issue in explaining exposure variability and improving control measures. Most studies have been conducted in industrialized countries. The aim of this study was to identify relevant dermal exposure determinants among Nicaraguan subsistence farmers. About the methods, Field data on possible determinants were collected during 32 pesticide applications through observation and supplementary videorecording. A multistep reduction strategy brought down the 110 potential exposure determinants to 27 variables, which were grouped as worksite, spray equipment, working practices, clothing or hygiene practices related. Dermal exposure was quantified with a modification of Fenske’s visual scoring method. Multivariate linear regression modeling within groups and across groups was performed. Among the main results are that in the within-group analyses, work practices, spray equipment and worksite related determinants explained 52, 33 and 25% of the exposure variability, respectively. Clothing and hygiene practices were weaker determinants and did not always reduce the exposure. The final model included determinants from all groups except hygiene practices and explained 69% of the exposure variability. A less restricted model increased the explained variability to 75%. Several novel determinants were identified, including spraying on a muddy terrain, dew on plants, sealing the tank lid with a cloth and wiping sweat from the face. Lastly in conclusions this study showed that a combination of observation and visual scoring techniques can provide valuable information on determinants of pesticide exposure and affected body parts under developing country conditions. The results could be used to develop jobspecific questionnaires and to design training and preventive programs.
Assessment of pesticide exposure in the agricultural population of Costa Rica
(British Occupational Hygiene Society, 2005) Monge, Patricia; Partanen, Timo; Wesseling, Catharina; Bravo, Viria; Ruepert, Clemens; Burstyn, Igor
We describe a model for the retrospective assessment of parental exposure to 26 pesticides, selected by toxicity-based prioritization, in a population-based case–control study of childhood leukaemia in Costa Rica (301 cases, 582 controls). The model was applied to a subset of 227 parents who had been employed or self-employed in agriculture or livestock breeding. It combines external data on pesticide use for 14 crops, 21 calendar years and 14 regions, and individual interview data on determinants (task and technology, personal protective equipment, field reentry, storing of pesticides, personal hygiene) of exposure. Recall was enhanced by use of checklists of pesticides in the interview. An external database provided information on the application rate (proxy for intensity of potential exposure) for each pesticide. The calendar time was individually converted to five time windows (year before conception, first, second and third trimester, and first year of the child). Time-windowed individual data on determinants of exposure and their expert-based general weights and their category-specific hazard values jointly provided an individual determinant score. This score was multiplied by the application rate to obtain an individual index of exposure intensity during application. Finally, average exposure intensity during entire time windows was estimated by incorporating in the model the individual time fraction of exposure during application. Estimates of exposure intensities were proxies assumed to be proportional to dermal exposure intensity, which represents the major pathway of occupational exposure to pesticides. A simulated sensitivity analysis resulted in a correlation coefficient of 0.91 between two sets of 10 000 values of individual exposure indices, based on two different but realistic sets expert-assigned weights. Lack of measurement data on concurrent exposures in comparable circumstances precluded direct validation of the model.
Determinación del historial de exposiciones en la epidemiolgía ocupacional
(World Health Organization, 2005-01) Espinosa, Maria Teresa; Partanen, Timo; Piñeros, Marion; Chaves, Jorge; Posso, Héctor; Monge, Patricia; Blanco, Luís; Wesseling, Catharina
La validez de los indicadores de exposición es una condición necesaria en epidemiología si se han de obtener resultados válidos en la medición de los riesgos asociados con la exposición a agentes nocivos en el entorno laboral. Sin embargo, llevar a cabo la validación de estos indica dores de exposiciones pasadas no es tarea fácil. Debido a la falta de mediciones de referencia en el ámbito de la higiene industrial y de con centraciones representativas de bioindicadores que reflejen las exposiciones pasadas, el método de los autoinformes se ha utilizado para recoger datos de exposición indirectos. No obstante, los datos acerca de agentes nocivos específicos son a menudo deficientes y deben completarse con otros sobre los factores condicionantes de la exposición. La validez de los autoinformes me jora cuando se utilizan listas de verificación e iconos ilustrativos, mientras que la calidad de la información sobre las exposiciones personales mejora cuando se incorporan datos secundarios acerca de las exposiciones y de los factores que las condicionan o determinan. La exposición se puede determinar mediante matrices de exposición, evaluación por exper tos y modelos de exposición, integrando datos primarios y secundarios acerca de las exposicio nes y sus factores condicionantes. Las matrices contienen datos agrupados y, por consiguiente, pueden llevar a errores a la hora de clasificar las exposiciones individuales e introducir sesgos en la estimación de los riesgos. La evaluación por expertos es probablemente el método con el índice de validez más alto, pero puede entrañar costos muy altos en el caso de estudios de cierta magnitud. Otra posibilidad con buenas perspectivas es la de utilizar un modelo formal para evaluar las exposiciones pa tentes y mejorarlo mediante la evaluación por expertos en situaciones en las cuales los resul tados del modelo parezcan alejarse de la realidad.
Mortality among a Cohort of Banana Plantation Workers in Costa Rica
(Taylor & Francis, 2006) Guardado, Jorge; Keifer, Matthew; Wesseling, Catharina; Hoffman, Jonathan
The nematocide 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP), widely used in Costa Rica during the late 1960s and 1970s, causes sterility in men and is a possible carcinogen. Mortality among a cohort of Costa Rican banana plantation workers was investigated. The cohort included 40,959 individuals who worked on banana plantations between 1972 and 1979. Employment records were linked with the Costa Rican Mortality Registry to determine outcomes through 1999. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated for all causes of death. Poisson regression was also used to calculate mortality risk estimates by duration of employment, but provided no additional insight. All-causes SMRs were 0.77 for men (95% CI 0.75-0.80) and 0.90 for women (95% CI 0.80-1.02) relative to national mortality rates. Mortality from septicemia was significantly higher than expected. Nonsignificant increases in mortality were also observed for testicular cancer, penile cancer, Hodgkin's disease, and Parkinson's disease in men, and for cervical cancer and lung cancer in women.
Evaluation of two self-administered questionnaires to ascertain dermatitis among metal workers and its relation with exposure to metal working fluids
(Blackwell Publishing, Dinamarca., 2007) van Wendel de Joode, Berna; Vermeulen, Roel; Heederik, Dick; van Ginkel, Kees; Kromhout, Hans
We performed an exploratory study to evaluate 2 self-administered questionnaires assessing hand dermatitis and to investigate a possible exposure-response relation between dermal exposure to semisynthetic metal working fluids (SMWF) and dermatitis. In a cross-sectional survey on dermatitis, a symptom-based questionnaire and a picture-based skin-screening list were applied in 80 SMWFexposed workers and 67 referents. To evaluate accuracy of the questionnaires, 47 subjects were examined by a dermatologist. Dermal exposure levels to SMWF were assessed on the hands, forearms, and face with an observational method that was validated with a fluorescent-tracer method. The symptom-based questionnaire had a relatively high sensitivity (0.86) but moderate specificity (0.64), the skin-screening list had a low sensitivity (0.36) and a relatively high specificity (0.84). The skin-screening list seemed to represent the more severe cases of dermatitis and showed a significant relation to exposure, for dermatitis on hands, forearms, or face. In epidemiological surveys where workers are not seen by a dermatologist, the skin-screening list seems to be more appropriate to detect cases of dermatitis, as its higher specificity results in less false positives. Alternatively, it would be preferable to apply the symptom based questionnaire; workers with symptoms should be seen by a dermatologist to identify false positives.
Field testing passive air samplers for current use pesticides in a tropical environment
(Universidad Nacional, Costa Rica., 2008) Gouin, Todd; Wania, Frank; Ruepert, Clemens; Castillo, Luisa E.
Air was sampled for one year in the central valley of Costa Rica using an active high-volume sampler as well as passive samplers (PAS) based on polyurethane foam (PUF) disks and XAD-resin filled mesh cylinders. Extracts were analyzed for pesticides that are either banned or currently used in Costa Rican agriculture. Sampling rates for PUF-based passive air samplers, determined from the loss of depuration compounds spiked on the disks prior to deployment, averaged 5.9 +- 0.9 m3 · d-1 and were higher during the windier dry seasonthan duringthe rainy season. Sampling ratesforthe XADbased passive sampler were determined from the slopes of linear relationships that were observed between the amount of pesticide sequestered in the resin and the length of deployment, which varied from 4 months to 1 year. Those sampling rates increased with decreasing molecular size of a pesticide, and their average of 2.1 +- 1.5 m3 · d-1 is higher than rates previously reported for temperate and polar sampling sites. Eventhoughthetrends ofthe sampling rate with molecular size and temperature are consistent with the hypothesis that molecular diffusion controls uptake in passive samplers, the trends are much more pronounced than a direct proportionality between sampling rate and molecular diffusivity would suggest. Air concentrations derived by the three sampling methods are within a factor of 2 of each other, suggesting that properly calibrated PAS can be effective tools for monitoring levels of pesticides in the tropical atmosphere. In particular, HiVol samplers, PUF-disk samplers, and XADbased passive samplers are suitable for obtaining information on air concentration variability on the time scale of days, seasons and years, respectively. This study represents the first calibration study for the uptake of current use pesticides by passive air samplers.
A pilot field evaluation on heat stress in sugarcane workers in Costa Rica: What to do next?
(Universidad Nacional, Costa Rica, 2009) Van Wendel de Joode, Berendina; Wesseling Hoogervors, Catharina; Crowe, Jennifer
Climate change is producing major impacts including increasing temperatures in tropical countries, like Costa Rica, where the sugarcane industry employs thousands of workers who are exposed to extreme heat. Objectives: This article outlines a pilot qualitative evaluation of working conditions and heat in the sugarcane industry. Design: A literature review, direct observations and exploratory interviews with workers were conducted to reach a preliminary understanding of the dimensions of heat-related health issues in the sugarcane industry, as a basis for the design of future studies. Results: The industry employs temporary workers from Nicaragua and Costa Rica as well as year-round employees. Temporary employees work 12-hour shifts during the harvest and processing ('zafra') season. In many cases, sugarcane field workers are required to carry their own water and often have no access to shade. Sugar mill workers are exposed to different levels of heat stress depending upon their job tasks, with the most intense heat and workload experienced by the oven ('caldera') cleaners. Conclusions: Research is needed to achieve better understanding of the multiple factors driving and interacting with heat exposures in the sugarcane industry in order to improve the health and safety of workers while maintaining worker productivity. © 2009 Jennifer Crowe et al.
Pesticide Exposure and Respiratory Health of Indigenous Women in Costa Rica
(Published by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and American Journal of Epidemiology, 2009-02-18) Fieten, Karin; Kromhout, Hans; Heederik, Dick; van Wendel de Joode, Berna
A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2007 to evaluate the relation between pesticide exposure and respiratory health in a population of indigenous women in Costa Rica. Exposed women (n ¼ 69) all worked at plantain plantations. Unexposed women (n ¼ 58) worked at organic banana plantations or other locations without pesticide exposure. Study participants were interviewed using questionnaires to estimate exposure and presence of respiratory symptoms. Spirometry tests were conducted to obtain forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in 1 second. Among the exposed, prevalence of wheeze was 20% and of shortness of breath was 36% versus 9% and 26%, respectively, for the unexposed. Prevalence of chronic cough, asthma, and atopic symptoms was similar for exposed and unexposed women. Among nonsmokers (n ¼ 105), reported exposures to the organophosphate insecticides chlorpyrifos (n ¼ 25) and terbufos (n ¼ 38) were strongly associated with wheeze (odd ratio ¼ 6.7, 95% confidence interval: 1.6, 28.0; odds ratio ¼ 5.9, 95% confidence interval: 1.4, 25.6, respectively). For both insecticides, a statistically significant exposure-effect association was found. Multiple organophosphate exposure was common; 81% of exposed women were exposed to both chlorpyrifos and terbufos. Consequently, their effects could not be separated. All findings were based on questionnaire data. No relation between pesticide exposure and ventilatory lung function was found.
Decreased kidney function of unknown cause in Nicaragua: a community-based survey
(National Kidney Foundation, 2010) Torres, Cecilia; Aragón, Aurora; Gonzalez-Quiroz, Marvin; López , Indiana; Jakobsson, Kristina; Elinder, Carl-Gustaf; Lundberg, Ingvar; Wesseling, Catharina
Background: End-stage kidney disease overwhelms health services in Central America. We determined prevalences of decreased kidney function in distinct populations in the most affected region of Nicaragua. Study Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting & Participants: Total populations aged 20-60 years of 5 villages in Northwest Nicaragua: mining/subsistence farming (elevation, 100-300 m above sea level), banana/sugarcane (100-300 m), fishing (0-100 m), services (0-100 m), and coffee (200-675 m); 479 men and 617 women (83% response). Predictor or Factor: Village; participant sex, age, and occupation; conventional chronic kidney disease risk factors. Outcomes: Serum creatinine (SCr) values greater than laboratory reference range for sex, estimated glomerular filtration rate 60 mL/min/1.73 m2, proteinuria stratified in the low (dipstick protein excretion, 30-300 mg/dL) and high (300 mg/dL) range. Results: Prevalences of abnormal SCr levels: 18% (of all men) and 5% (of all women); in the mining/subsistence farming village, 26% and 7%; banana/sugarcane, 22% and 6%; fishing, 13% and 4%; services, 0% and 1%; and coffee, 7% and 0%. Prevalences of estimated glomerular filtration rate 60 mL/min/1.73 m2: 14% (of all men) and 3% (of all women); in the listed villages, 19% and 5%, 17% and 4%, 10% and 2%, 0% and 0%, and 7% and 0%, respectively. Proteinuria, predominantly in the low range, affected 14% and 11% of all men and women without marked differences between villages. By occupation, abnormal SCr levels occurred in 31% and 24% of male and female agricultural workers at 100-300 m above sea level, but not at higher altitudes, and also was high in male artisans (43%), construction workers (15%), and miners (14%). In logistic regression models, for the banana/sugarcane and mining/subsistence farming villages, high blood pressure and age were significant predictors of abnormal SCr levels in men, and for mining/subsistence farming, age in women. Limitations: Causality is not addressed. Conclusions: In some Nicaraguan villages and population segments, men in particular show a high prevalence of decreased kidney function of unknown origin, possibly environmental or occupational.
Heat exposure in sugarcane workers in Costa Rica during the non-harvest season
(Global Health Action, 2010) Crowe, Jennifer; Moya-Bonilla, José Manuel; Román-Solano, Bryan; Robles-Ramírez, Andrés
This observational pilot study was carried out at three sugarcane companies in Costa Rica. Its main objective was to determine the potential for heat stress conditions for workers in one sugarcane-growing region in Costa Rica during the maintenance (non-harvest) period. Wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) variables were measured with a heat stress meter and threshold value limits and the Sweat Rate Indexes were calculated for each workplace. It was determined that workers in this study were in heat stress conditions. Costa Rica is likely to experience warmer temperatures and increased heat waves in the coming decades. It is therefore important to take action to decrease current and future heat related risks for sugarcane workers in both harvest and non-harvest conditions and in all sugarcane growing regions in Costa Rica. It is also necessary to improve guidelines and occupational health standards for protecting worker health and productivity in the tropics.
Climate Change, workplace heat exposure, and Occupational Health and productivity in Central America
(Universidad Nacional, Costa Rica, 2011) Kjellstrom, Tord; Crowe, Jennifer
Climate change is increasing heat exposure in places such as Central America, a tropical region with generally hot/humid conditions. Working people are at particular risk of heat stress because of the intrabody heat production caused by physical labor. This article aims to describe the risks of occupational heat exposure on health and productivity in Central America, and to make tentative estimates of the impact of ongoing climate change on these risks. A review of relevant literature and estimation of the heat exposure variable wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) in different locations within the region were used to estimate the effects. We found that heat stress at work is a real threat. Literature from Central America and heat exposure estimates show that some workers are already at risk under current conditions. These conditions will likely worsen with climate change, demonstrating the need to create solutions that will protect worker health and productivity.
Fatal occupational injuries in Nicaragua, 2005
(Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Nicaragua, León., 2011) López Bonilla, Indiana Mercedes; Flores Urbina, Lucía; Partanen, Timo; Wesseling, Catharina
We attempt to estimate the rate of fatal occupational injuries (FOI) in Nicaragua for 2005, using 10 incomplete data sources. Based on the 173 identified FOIs, the crude empirical FOI rate estimate was 8.3 per 100,000 employed (12.3 men; 1.8 women) and highest in the 25–29 age group (15). The overall rate, corrected by capture–recapture modeling, was 11.6. Manufacturing represented a high rate (11.7); the formal economy rate (12.3) was higher than the informal economy (6); mining (110.3) and electricity (76.2) had the highest industry rates; and the most common agents of FOIs were motor vehicles. With 10 major sources, the extent of FOIs remains grossly underestimated and biased across worker strata. The FOIs among informal and agricultural workers tend to remain invisible, as there is no systematic surveillance by any agency. Changes in legislation and implementation are necessary to correct the situation.
Agricoh: A consortium of agricultural cohorts
(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute(MDPI), Switzerland., 2011-04-29) Leon, Maria; Beane Freeman, Laura; Douwes, Jeroen; Hoppin, Jane; Kromhout, Hans; Lebailly, Pierre; Christian Nordby, Karl; Schenker, Marc; Schüz, Joachim; Waring, Stephen; Alavanja, Michael; Annesi Maesano, Isabella; Baldi, Isabelle; Aqiel Dalvie, Mohamed; Ferro, Giles; Fervers, Beatris; Langseth, Hilde; London, Leslie; Lynch, Charles; McLaughlin, John; Merchant, James; Pahwa, Punam; Sigsgaard, Torben; Stayner, Leslie; Wesseling, Catharina; Keun-Young, Yoo; Zahm, Sheila; Straif, Kurt; Blair, Aaron
AGRICOH is a recently formed consortium of agricultural cohort studies involving 22 cohorts from nine countries in five continents: South Africa (1), Canada (3), Costa Rica (2), USA (6), Republic of Korea (1), New Zealand (2), Denmark (1), France (3) and Norway (3). The aim of AGRICOH, initiated by the US National Cancer Institute (NCI) and coordinated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), is to promote and sustain collaboration and pooling of data to investigate the association between a wide range of agricultural exposures and a wide range of health outcomes, with a particular focus on associations that cannot easily be addressed in individual studies because of rare exposures (e.g., use of infrequently applied chemicals) or relatively rare outcomes (e.g., certain types of cancer, neurologic and auto-immune diseases). To facilitate future projects the need for data harmonization of selected variables is required and is underway. Altogether, AGRICOH provides excellent opportunities for studying cancer, respiratory, neurologic, and auto-immune diseases as well as reproductive and allergic disorders, injuries and overall mortality in association with a wide array of exposures, prominent among these the application of pesticides. © 2011 by the authors.

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