Respiratory and Allergic Effects in Children Exposed to Pesticides—A Systematic Review

Abstract

Pesticide exposure may affect children’s respiratory and allergic health, although results from epidemiological studies have not reached consensus. This review aims to analyze the scientific evidence on respiratory and allergic effects of exposure to agricultural pesticides in children aged up to 12 years old. The databases PubMed, Web of Science, Scielo, and Lilacs were screened to select articles published in English, Spanish, or Portuguese, and 21 articles were included in this review. Most investigations were conducted in North America (mostly in the United States), while no studies conducted in Latin America or Africa were found, despite their intensive use of pesticides. Children are exposed to pesticides through multiple pathways from the prenatal period throughout later developmental stages and may experience several respiratory effects. Most studies (79%) found positive associations with pesticide exposure and children’s respiratory and allergic effects such as asthma, wheezing, coughs, acute respiratory infections, hay fever, rhinitis, eczema, chronic phlegm, and lung function impairments. Contrastingly, 21% of the studies found no associations between pesticide exposure and children’s respiratory health. The vast differences among the characteristics of the studies hamper any comparison of the results. Exposure to pesticides may have several impacts on childhood respiratory health. More studies must be conducted, especially in low- and middle-income countries, preferably with comparable research protocols adapted to local realities. Efforts should be made to develop comprehensive risk mitigation strategies and behavioral interventions to reduce children’s exposure to pesticides used in agriculture and respiratory health effects, and to ensure healthy childhood growth.

The Health Impacts of Hazardous Chemical Exposures among Child Labourers in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

“…The Stockholm Convention (2001), signed and ratified by over 150 countries globally, aims to eliminate or restrict the use of the most hazardous POPs, such as polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT). pacts include neurobehavioural deficits [17], early puberty and infertility [18,19], later life diabetes and obesity [20], increased respiratory symptoms [21], and immunotoxicity [22]. Childhood cancers, such as liver and thyroid cancers, have also been documented, alongside adult cancers from childhood chemical exposures, including breast and brain cancer [9].…”

Acute Health Effects of Pesticide Exposure among Farmers Directly Involved with Spraying: A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study from Kashmir Valley

“…OPs have been known to affect the respiratory system by peripheral muscarinic actions on the airways, nicotinic actions on the muscles of respiration, effects on the medullary center in the brain and direct toxic effects on the alveolar-capillary membrane 44 . Various studies report similar findings, where chronic exposure to OPs has been associated with decreased lung function and a rise in respiratory symptoms [45][46][47] . The gastrointestinal symptoms including constipation, salivation, abdominal pain etc.…”

Clinical and Epidemiological Characteristics of Acute Poisoning in Children in Southwestern China: A Review of 1755 Cases from 2014 to 2020

“…Most recent studies suggest that respiratory diseases and allergies (such as asthma, wheezing, coughing, acute respiratory infections, hay fever, rhinitis, eczema, chronic sputum, and lung dysfunction) may be positively correlated with the late stage of acute poisoning. 44 , 45 Southwestern China is the main settlement area of the Yi ethnic group. The present study indicates that due to the different living habits of the Yi the main types of poisoning among Yi children were mistaken ingestion.…”