The study reinforces the evidence of the association between pesticide poisoning and mental health disorders. It also points to increased risk of MPD from low socioeconomic status, dermal pesticide exposure as well as from exposure to organophosphates. Furthermore, the study reveals intense nicotine exposure as a risk for tobacco farmers' mental health.

BackgroundDespite being the second largest tobacco producer in the world, Brazil does not have prevalence studies about green tobacco sickness (GTS).MethodsA cross‐sectional study was carried out on a sample of Brazilian tobacco workers. The sample was described according to socio‐demographic, behavioral, and occupational variables. Gender‐stratified multivariate analyses examined variables associated with GTS.ResultsGTS prevalence among men in the previous month was 6.6%, while among women it was 11.9%. Among men, age, being a non‐smoker, hanging tobacco sticks in the barn, harvesting wet leaves, and exposure to physical exertion were risk factors for GTS. Among women, tying hands of tobacco, transporting bales, harvesting wet leaves, having had contact with pesticides, and exposure to physical exertion were positively associated with GTS.ConclusionResearch is required to improve methods for GTS screening, as well as the ability to distinguish GTS from pesticide poisoning. Health professionals should be trained to diagnose and treat GTS. Am. J. Ind. Med. 57:726–735, 2014. © 2014 The Authors. American Journal of Industrial Medicine Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

This article addresses food insecurity among urban Brazilian families with children under seven years. A cross-sectional study in areas covered

Background: Over-the-counter analgesic use during pregnancy, particularly acetaminophen, may be associated with negative developmental outcomes in children.Objective: Estimate associations of prenatal and early-life exposure to acetaminophen in early childhood with cognitive, motor, and language skills in two birth cohorts. Methods: The American Project Viva cohort (1217 mother-child pairs enrolled 1999-2002) assessed cognition at approximately 3 years using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test and the Wide Range Achievement of Visual Motor Abilities (WRAVMA). The Brazilian 2015 Pelotas Birth Cohort (3818 mother-child pairs) assessed cognition at 2 years using the INTERGROWTH-21st NeurodevelopmentAssessment. We used linear regression to estimate associations of acetaminophen use during pregnancy (Project Viva and Pelotas) and infancy (Project Viva) with children's cognitive scores adjusted for maternal age, pre-pregnancy body mass index, education, parity, race/ethnicity, smoking and alcohol use during pregnancy, depression during pregnancy, antibiotic and ibuprofen use during pregnancy, household income, and child's sex. Results:In Project Viva, exposure to acetaminophen in both the 1st and 2nd trimester of pregnancy was associated with lower WRAVMA drawing scores (β −1.51, 95% CI −2.92, −0.10). However, in Pelotas, exposure to acetaminophen in both the 1st and 2nd trimester of pregnancy was not associated with INTER-NDA motor scores (β 0.02; 95% CI −0.05, 0.09) and was associated with higher INTER-NDA total scores (β 0.08, 95% CI 0.01, 0.16). Other comparisons did not show evidence for any associations. Conclusions:Inconsistencies and lack of specificity of the findings did not clarify the research question considering that we still have a large variability and uncertainty to define the risk or safety in the use of acetaminophen related to cognition in early childhood. More studies using better exposure assessment and better confounding variables are needed to clarify these associations.

Background: Medication use during pregnancy is a common practice that has been increasing in recent years. The aim of this study is to describe medication use among pregnant women from the 2015 Pelotas (Brazil) Birth Cohort Study. Methods: This paper relies on a population-based cohort study including 4270 women. Participants completed a questionnaire about the antenatal period, including information about medication use. We performed descriptive analyses of the sample and the medications used and adjusted analyses for the use of medications and self-medication. Results: The prevalence of medication use was 92.5% (95% CI 91.7–93.3), excluding iron salts, folic acid, vitamins, and other minerals. The prevalence of self-medication was 27.7% (95% CI 26.3–29.1). In the adjusted analysis, women who had three or more health problems during pregnancy demonstrated higher use of medicines. Self-medication was higher in lower income groups and among smokers and multiparous women (three pregnancies or more). Acetaminophen, scopolamine, and dimenhydrinate were the medications most commonly used. Conclusions: This study describes the pattern of drug use among pregnant women in a population-based cohort study, with a high prevalence of self-medication. Greater awareness of the risks of self-medication during pregnancy is required, focusing on groups more prone to this practice, as well as ensuring qualified multidisciplinary prenatal care.