Exposure to organochlorine pesticides in indigenous children from Potam, Sonora, Mexico

Abstract

The main activity in southern Sonora is agriculture, where for many years a wide variety of pesticides have been used irrationally and indiscriminately, including compounds banned in other countries. Due to the lack of data on pesticide residues in biological and environmental samples of residents of the Yaqui ethnic group, the objective of this study was to evaluate the exposure of children to p,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDE, p,p'-DDD, α, β-endosulfan and lindane in order to determine the baseline levels of these toxins in the population. A cross-sectional study was conducted including children from Potam (high exposure) and children from Cd. Obregón (low exposure). Blood samples were analyzed to determine these pesticides by gas chromatography. 100% of the samples had detectable levels of p,p’-DDE, in a range of 0.3-4.3 g/L, lindane was only present in 33.33% of the Potam children with values ​​between 0.7±0.2 g/L. Endosulfan was found in both communities, but the highest levels were for the Potam children in the range of non-detectable (ND) up to 2.8 g/L. The soil concentration for total DDT (∑ pp-DDT, pp-DDE, pp-DDD) was in the range of ND up to 36.60 g/Kg. A statistically significant association was also found between blood levels of p,p’-DDE and seafood consumption. The presence of these agrochemicals in both communities shows the high residuality and bioavailability of these compounds in the environment through different routes of exposure to the population.