Effects of Pesticides on Haematology, Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) and Tri-iodothyronine (T3) Hormones of Agricultural Workers in Swat, Pakistan

Abstract

Swat valley is famous for its high production of agriculture crops. These crops are under constant attacks by different pests and use of pesticides has become very crucial for the control of these pests. Pesticides are toxic substances used to kill organisms which are competing humans for food and may also pose risk to humans. The current study was performed to investigate the effects of pesticides on blood circulating hormones (Thyroid stimulating hormone [TSH], Tri-iodothyronine [T3], and haematological parameters of agriculture workers. A total of 30 blood samples were collected from male agriculture workers who have been exposed to pesticides in crop fields for a long period of time, while 30 blood samples have been taken from the group of people in meanwhile who were not dealing with pesticides. The blood samples were collected in a randomized manner. The haematological parameters and hormones levels were determined using standard methods. The mean and standard deviation values for each parameter were calculated using statistical software Minitab version 16. Paired t-test was used to find the significance of data and p-value of ≤ 0.05 at 95% confidence interval was considered as the significant. The analysis showed a decrease in the level of TSH and an increase in the level of T3 hormone in group of people who have been exposed to pesticides in comparison to the other group of people who have not been exposed to pesticides (control). The haematological parameters did not show a uniform pattern upon exposures to pesticides. The white blood cells and platelets were the most affected parameters. This preliminary study would be helpful to determine the future risk of diseases in agriculture workers.

Pesticides Residues in Blood Serum and Their Adverse Effects on Multi- Biomarkers in Occupationally Exposed Greenhouse Workers: A Cross-Sectional Study in Hamadan City, Iran

“…WBC, HB, HCT, MCV, MCHC, PLT, MPV, and PCT were also appreciably (P < 0.05; Multivariate regression ANOVA) altered with pesticide concentrations detected in their blood. (Quraishi et al 2015) showed an increase in WBC, Hb, PCV and MCV levels of farmers exposed to pesticides compared to the control group, but the platelet count in samples exposed to pesticides decreased compared to the controls. This change may be due to exposure to several different pesticides.…”

Pesticides Exposure and Thyroid Hormone Levels Among Agricultural Workers and Pesticide Applicators: A Systematic Review

“…Different results were obtained through studies evaluating T 3 and exposure to various types of pesticides. Two articles showed that T 3 serum levels among exposed groups were significantly higher compared to the unexposed (44,46), but three demonstrated the opposite results (40,42,51).…”

“…According to Table 1, 11 articles evaluated pesticide exposure among male farmers or farmworkers (37)(38)(39)(40)(41)(42)(43)(44)(45)(46)(47) and six studies were conducted with either pesticide applicators or sprayers (36,(48)(49)(50)(51). Fifteen studies measured serum levels of thyroid hormones including Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH), Free Triiodothyronine (FT 3 ), Free Thyroxine (FT 4 ), Triiodothyronine (T 3 ), Thyroxine (T 4 ), and Total Triiodothyronine (T 3 ).…”

“…Ten of eleven studies conducted with either farmers or farmworkers showed that exposure to various types of pesticides application significantly affected the level of thyroid hormone compared to unexposed groups (38)(39)(40)(41)(42)(43)(44)(45)(46)(47). However, the remaining one indicated that the difference in thyroid hormone levels among both exposed and unexposed groups was statistically insignificant (37) as presented in Table 1.…”

Comparative endocrine disrupting effects of abamectin and indoxacarb insecticides

“…Both T3 and T4 are bio-indicators of the hypothalamus and pituitary glands activities (Kirsten, 2000;Mebis et al, 2008). These hormones have important function in the body, specifically the stimulation of metabolism (Puri, 2011;Quraishi et al, 2015). T3 and T4 help acquiring the element iodine and convert it into the form that is biologically available (Granner, 2003).…”