Pesticide exposure link to ME/CFS
Pesticides are chemicals that control pests. Pesticides include insecticides (which control insects) and herbicides (which control weeds). The main classes of insecticides are: organophosphates, carbamates, pyrethroids, neonicotinoids and organochlorines.
Pesticide link to ME/CFS[edit | edit source]
Organophosphates[edit | edit source]
In one study, Scottish sheep farmers using organophosphate-based sheep dip to protect their sheep against parasites were found to suffer much higher rates of myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS): the prevalence of ME/CFS in these farmers was 4 times the national UK average, implicating organophosphates as a probable causal factor in ME/CFS.[1][2] Farmers who used organophosphate-based sheep dip were also found to be 10,000 times more likely to suffer from mental health disorders.[3]
Across the UK, at least 500 farmers were left with debilitating health problems after using organophosphate sheep dip, and the Countess of Mar, a life peer in the House of Lords who developed ME/CFS after coming into contact with sheep dip on her farm, has spent the past decades campaigning on the organophosphate issue .[4]
ME/CFS researcher Professor Peter Behan studied the organophosphate link to ME/CFS, and talks about it in this 1997 newspaper article.
In Gulf War Illness (some types of which resemble ME/CFS), most of the toxic exposures and vaccinations that soldiers were exposed to have been ruled out as playing a causal role in GWI. Except for organophosphates, which the studies found strong evidence of playing a role.
Organochlorines[edit | edit source]
Another class of pesticides called organochlorines (which includes DDT and dieldrin) have also been linked to ME/CFS.[5][6] However most organochlorines were banned in the 1980s, with some exceptions such as dicofol which is banned in Europe but still used on cotton and fruit crops in the US, and DDT which is still used for malaria control in Africa and parts of Asia.
Pyrethroids[edit | edit source]
Pyrethroids are synthetic compounds similar to the pyrethrins produced by Chrysanthemum flowers. Pyrethroids are considered less toxic to human than organophosphates, but nevertheless are also linked to ME/CFS.[7]
Pesticide association with autoimmune disease[edit | edit source]
A study of nearly 77,000 women found that those who personally mixed or applied insecticides for 20 years had double the rate of the autoimmune conditions rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus.[8]
Broad range of diseases linked to pesticides[edit | edit source]
An article by the Beyond Pesticides charity summarizes the wide range of diseases that are associated with pesticide exposure:[9]
- 41 studies linking pesticides to asthma. Studies show that pesticides not only trigger asthma attacks, but are also a root cause of asthma.
- 19 studies linking pesticides to fetal and birth defects.
- 260 studies linking pesticides to various forms of cancer: 30 studies linking pesticides to brain cancer, 11 studies linking pesticides to breast cancer, 40 studies linking pesticides to leukemia, 46 studies linking pesticides to lymphoma, 23 studies linking pesticides to prostate cancer, 7 studies linking pesticides to soft tissue sarcoma.
- 26 studies linking pesticides to learning and developmental disorders: 8 studies linking pesticides to ADHD, 5 studies linking pesticides to autism.
- 6 studies linking pesticides to diabetes.
- 65 studies linking pesticides to Parkinson’s disease.
- 22 studies linking pesticides to reproductive health effects. These include decreased fertility in both males and females, an androgenic (demasculinizing) effects, increased rates of miscarriage, altered sex ratios and altered maturity.
Routes of human exposure to pesticides[edit | edit source]
Pesticides can enter the body through the mouth, skin, eyes or lungs. Sources of pesticide exposure include garden pesticide sprays used by you or your neighbor, which can be tracked into the house on shoes. Agricultural exposure may occur in rural areas through crop spraying. Pesticide exposure can also occur through treating wood with preservatives, and treating livestock with anti-parastitic preparations, such as sheep dip.
Pesticides cause structural changes in the basal ganglia of the brain[edit | edit source]
Studies on asymptomatic agricultural workers exposed to pesticides found micro-structural changes in their substantia nigra, a region in the basal ganglia of the brain.[10][11] Basal ganglia injury was also found in Gulf War illness patients.[12]
Malathion multiplies its toxicity 1000-fold when used indoors[edit | edit source]
The household organophosphate pesticide malathion is particularly dangerous if a significant quantity is spilt in an indoor environment (in a house, workplace, garage or barn), because although the pesticide toxicity class of malathion is relatively low, a breakdown products of malathion called malaoxon is 1,000 times more toxic than the original malathion, in terms of its acetylcholinesterase activity.[13] Thus any malathion is spilt indoors, because it is not dispersed by the wind or rain, will remain indoors and as its breaks down, mutiply its toxicty by 1000 times, thus becoming highly toxic to the inhabitants.
Detoxification of pesticides[edit | edit source]
Organophosphate pesticides are detoxified from the body by an enzyme called paraoxonase, whose gene is PON1. Mutations in the PON1 gene greatly reduce the ability of paraoxonase to detoxify organophosphates.[14][15] The person-to-person variation in the ability of paraoxonase to detoxify organophosphate is in the range of 10- to 40-fold, and is determined in part by four SNP mutations in the PON1 gene.[16] Individuals who have PON1 mutations which make paraoxonase less active are much more susceptible to the damage caused by organophosphates. The hormone leptin markedly decreases plasma PON1 activity.[17] High leptin is found in obesity.
Call to ban all organophosphate pesticides[edit | edit source]
A systematic review in PLOS Medicine is calling for a blanket ban of all organophosphate pesticides.[18] The paper says that widespread use of organophosphate pesticides to control insects has resulted in ubiquitous human exposures, and that compelling evidence indicates that prenatal organophosphate exposure at low levels is putting children at risk for cognitive and behavioral deficits and for neurodevelopmental disorders. The authors point out that there is no safe level of exposure to any organophosphate pesticide for pregnant women, whose babies suffer disorders ranging from impaired mental and motor skills and memory loss to autism and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
The paper also describes how high exposures to organophosphate pesticides are responsible for poisonings and deaths, particularly in developing countries. The United Nations estimates that 200,000 people die each year from pesticide poisonings, about 99% of them in the developing world.[19]
Links[edit | edit source]
Pesticide Action Network (PAN) International
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ "Health Report raises sheep dip health fears". BBC News. 1999.
Two years ago 60 sheep dippers in the Western Isles were found to be suffering from the chronic fatigue syndrome ME - four times the national average. Farmers who say exposure to the dips has affected their health complain of symptoms including excessive tiredness, headaches, limb pains, disturbed sleep, poor concentration, mood changes, and thoughts of suicide.
Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help); line feed character in|title=at position 7 (help) - ↑ "Inquiry into sheep dip 'sickness'". BBC News. 2000. Cite has empty unknown parameter:
|dead-url=(help) - ↑ "Controversial sheep dip withdrawn". BBC News. 1999. Cite has empty unknown parameter:
|dead-url=(help) - ↑ "Revealed: government knew of farm poisoning risk but failed to act". The Guardian. 2015. Cite has empty unknown parameter:
|dead-url=(help) - ↑ Dunstan, R. H.; Donohoe, M.; Taylor, W.; Roberts, T. K.; Murdoch, R. N.; Watkins, J. A.; McGregor, N. R. (September 18, 1995). "A preliminary investigation of chlorinated hydrocarbons and chronic fatigue syndrome". The Medical Journal of Australia. 163 (6): 294–297. ISSN 0025-729X. PMID 7565234.
- ↑ Dunstan, R. H.; Roberts, T. K.; Donohoe, M.; McGregor, N. R.; Hope, D.; Taylor, W. G.; Watkins, J. A.; Murdoch, R. N.; Butt, H. L. (1996-6). "Bioaccumulated chlorinated hydrocarbons and red/white blood cell parameters". Biochemical and Molecular Medicine. 58 (1): 77–84. ISSN 1077-3150. PMID 8809349. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ Nacul, Luis Carlos; Lacerda, Eliana Mattos; Sakellariou, Dikaios (2009;17(1)). "Is there an association between exposure to chemicals and chronic fatigue syndrome? Review of the evidence. Bulletin of International Association for CFS/ME" (PDF). Cite has empty unknown parameter:
|dead-url=(help); Check date values in:|date=(help) - ↑ Parks, Christine G.; Walitt, Brian T.; Pettinger, Mary; Chen, Jiu-Chiuan; de Roos, Anneclaire J.; Hunt, Julie; Sarto, Gloria; Howard, Barbara V. (2011-2). "Insecticide use and risk of rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study". Arthritis Care & Research. 63 (2): 184–194. doi:10.1002/acr.20335. ISSN 2151-4658. PMC 3593584. PMID 20740609. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ Owens, Kagan; Feldman, Jay; Kepner, John (2010). "Wide Range of Diseases Linked to Pesticides" (PDF). Cite has empty unknown parameter:
|dead-url=(help) - ↑ Du, Guangwei; Lewis, Mechelle M.; Sterling, Nicholas W.; Kong, Lan; Chen, Honglei; Mailman, Richard B.; Huang, Xuemei (2014-1). "Microstructural changes in the substantia nigra of asymptomatic agricultural workers". Neurotoxicology and Teratology. 41: 60–64. doi:10.1016/j.ntt.2013.12.001. ISSN 1872-9738. PMC 3943901. PMID 24334261. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ Lewis, Mechelle M.; Sterling, Nicholas W.; Du, Guangwei; Lee, Eun-Young; Shyu, Grace; Goldenberg, Michael; Allen, Thomas; Stetter, Christy; Kong, Lan (09 01, 2017). "Lateralized Basal Ganglia Vulnerability to Pesticide Exposure in Asymptomatic Agricultural Workers". Toxicological Sciences: An Official Journal of the Society of Toxicology. 159 (1): 170–178. doi:10.1093/toxsci/kfx126. ISSN 1096-0929. PMC 5837257. PMID 28633499. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ Haley, R. W.; Fleckenstein, J. L.; Marshall, W. W.; McDonald, G. G.; Kramer, G. L.; Petty, F. (2000-9). "Effect of basal ganglia injury on central dopamine activity in Gulf War syndrome: correlation of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy and plasma homovanillic acid levels". Archives of Neurology. 57 (9): 1280–1285. doi:10.1001/archneur.57.9.1280. ISSN 0003-9942. PMID 10987894. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ Rodriguez, O. P.; Muth, G. W.; Berkman, C. E.; Kim, K.; Thompson, C. M. (1997-2). "Inhibition of various cholinesterases with the enantiomers of malaoxon". Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. 58 (2): 171–176. doi:10.1007/s001289900316. ISSN 0007-4861. PMID 8975790. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ Mackness, Bharti; Durrington, Paul; Povey, Andrew; Thomson, Stuart; Dippnall, Martin; Mackness, Mike; Smith, Ted; Cherry, Nicola (2003-2). "Paraoxonase and susceptibility to organophosphorus poisoning in farmers dipping sheep". Pharmacogenetics. 13 (2): 81–88. doi:10.1097/01.fpc.0000054058.98065.38. ISSN 0960-314X. PMID 12563177. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ Costa, Lucio G.; Richter, Rebecca J.; Li, Wan-Fen; Cole, Toby; Guizzetti, Marina; Furlong, Clement E. (2003-1). "Paraoxonase (PON 1) as a biomarker of susceptibility for organophosphate toxicity". Biomarkers: Biochemical Indicators of Exposure, Response, and Susceptibility to Chemicals. 8 (1): 1–12. doi:10.1080/13547500210148315. ISSN 1354-750X. PMID 12519632. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ Rozek, Laura S.; Hatsukami, Thomas S.; Richter, Rebecca J.; Ranchalis, Jane; Nakayama, Karen; McKinstry, Laura A.; Gortner, David A.; Boyko, Edward; Schellenberg, Gerard D. (September 1, 2005). "The correlation of paraoxonase (PON1) activity with lipid and lipoprotein levels differs with vascular disease status". Journal of Lipid Research. 46 (9): 1888–1895. doi:10.1194/jlr.M400489-JLR200. ISSN 0022-2275. PMID 15995178.
- ↑ Bełtowski, Jerzy; Wójcicka, Grazyna; Jamroz, Anna (2003-9). "Leptin decreases plasma paraoxonase 1 (PON1) activity and induces oxidative stress: the possible novel mechanism for proatherogenic effect of chronic hyperleptinemia". Atherosclerosis. 170 (1): 21–29. doi:10.1016/s0021-9150(03)00236-3. ISSN 0021-9150. PMID 12957679. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ Hertz-Picciotto, Irva; Sass, Jennifer B.; Engel, Stephanie; Bennett, Deborah H.; Bradman, Asa; Eskenazi, Brenda; Lanphear, Bruce; Whyatt, Robin (October 24, 2018). "Organophosphate exposures during pregnancy and child neurodevelopment: Recommendations for essential policy reforms". PLOS Medicine. 15 (10): e1002671. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1002671. ISSN 1549-1676. PMC 6200179. PMID 30356230.
- ↑ "Ban entire pesticide class to protect children's health, experts say". The Guardian. 2018.
200,000 people still die each year from pesticide poisonings, according to UN estimates, about 99% of them in the developing world. A further 110,000 suicides using pesticides take place each year.
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