Background: The global use of pesticides steadily increased until the early 2010s. Pesticides play a significant role in agriculture in Korea. Metabolic syndrome is more prevalent in rural areas than in urban areas. This study explored the potential association between organophosphate and pyrethroid pesticide exposure and metabolic syndrome. Methods: This study enrolled 1,317 individuals who participated in the Pesticide Exposure and Intoxication Study conducted by the Dankook University Hospital Center for Farmers’ Safety and Health from 2014 to 2019. Urinary levels of dimethylphosphate, dimethylthiophosphat, diethylphosphate, and diethylthiophosphate were measured to assess organophosphate pesticide exposure and urinary levels cis-3-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane carboxylic acid, trans-3-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane carboxylic acid, cis-3-(2,2-dibromovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane carboxylic acid, and 3-phenoxybenzoic acid were measured to assess pyrethroid pesticide exposure. Results: The odds ratio for the 4th quartile group of organophosphate metabolites concentration was 1.48 (95% confidence interval: 1.06–2.09) compared to the 1st quartile group after adjustment for general factors. In addition, a positive trend was observed across the quartile groups of organophosphate metabolites concentration. A positive trend was noted across the quartile groups of organophosphate metabolites in males, while no significant association was observed in females. Furthermore, no significant associations were observed between metabolic syndrome and pyrethroid metabolites concentration. Conclusions A positive correlation was observed between the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and the concentrations of urinary organophosphate metabolites, consistent with previous research finding. This association may be attributed to the action of organophosphates as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, stimulating beta cells in the islets of Langerhans. This can lead to alterations in lipid metabolism and insulin resistance, ultimately leading to metabolic syndrome development. Metabolic syndrome is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease; therefore, it is necessary to identify the risk factors unique to rural areas, such as pesticide exposure.

Background: The global use of pesticides steadily increased until the early 2010s. Pesticides play a significant role in agriculture in Korea. Metabolic syndrome is more prevalent in rural areas than in urban areas. This study explored the potential association between organophosphate and pyrethroid pesticide exposure and metabolic syndrome. Methods: This study enrolled 1,317 individuals who participated in the Pesticide Exposure and Intoxication Study conducted by the Dankook University Hospital Center for Farmers’ Safety and Health from 2014 to 2019. Urinary levels of dimethylphosphate, dimethylthiophosphat, diethylphosphate, and diethylthiophosphate were measured to assess organophosphate pesticide exposure and urinary levels cis-3-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane carboxylic acid, trans-3-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane carboxylic acid, cis-3-(2,2-dibromovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane carboxylic acid, and 3-phenoxybenzoic acid were measured to assess pyrethroid pesticide exposure. Results: The odds ratio for the 4th quartile group of organophosphate metabolites concentration was 1.48 (95% confidence interval: 1.06–2.09) compared to the 1st quartile group after adjustment for general factors. In addition, a positive trend was observed across the quartile groups of organophosphate metabolites concentration. A positive trend was noted across the quartile groups of organophosphate metabolites in males, while no significant association was observed in females. Furthermore, no significant associations were observed between metabolic syndrome and pyrethroid metabolites concentration. Conclusions A positive correlation was observed between the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and the concentrations of urinary organophosphate metabolites, consistent with previous research finding. This association may be attributed to the action of organophosphates as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, stimulating beta cells in the islets of Langerhans. This can lead to alterations in lipid metabolism and insulin resistance, ultimately leading to metabolic syndrome development. Metabolic syndrome is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease; therefore, it is necessary to identify the risk factors unique to rural areas, such as pesticide exposure.

Background: The global use of pesticides steadily increased until the early 2010s. Pesticides play a significant role in agriculture in Korea. Metabolic syndrome is more prevalent in rural areas than in urban areas. This study explored the potential association between organophosphate and pyrethroid pesticide exposure and metabolic syndrome. Methods: This study enrolled 1,317 individuals who participated in the Pesticide Exposure and Intoxication Study conducted by the Dankook University Hospital Center for Farmers’ Safety and Health from 2014 to 2019. Urinary levels of dimethylphosphate, dimethylthiophosphat, diethylphosphate, and diethylthiophosphate were measured to assess organophosphate pesticide exposure and urinary levels cis-3-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane carboxylic acid, trans-3-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane carboxylic acid, cis-3-(2,2-dibromovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane carboxylic acid, and 3-phenoxybenzoic acid were measured to assess pyrethroid pesticide exposure. Results: The odds ratio for the 4th quartile group of organophosphate metabolites concentration was 1.48 (95% confidence interval: 1.06–2.09) compared to the 1st quartile group after adjustment for general factors. In addition, a positive trend was observed across the quartile groups of organophosphate metabolites concentration. A positive trend was noted across the quartile groups of organophosphate metabolites in males, while no significant association was observed in females. Furthermore, no significant associations were observed between metabolic syndrome and pyrethroid metabolites concentration. Conclusions A positive correlation was observed between the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and the concentrations of urinary organophosphate metabolites, consistent with previous research finding. This association may be attributed to the action of organophosphates as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, stimulating beta cells in the islets of Langerhans. This can lead to alterations in lipid metabolism and insulin resistance, ultimately leading to metabolic syndrome development. Metabolic syndrome is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease; therefore, it is necessary to identify the risk factors unique to rural areas, such as pesticide exposure.

Objective: Self perceived health status dose not only reflects an individual's perception of their overall well-being but is also known to be influenced by various aspects of life. Rural areas tend to have relatively lower quality of life compared to urban areas. Therefore, this study aims to investigate factors related to Self perceived health status among farmers. Methods: In the subjective health status questionnaire, responses of "very healthy" and "healthy" are classified as ‘good’, whereas "average", "unhealthy" or "very unhealthy" are classified as indicative of a 'poor' subjective health status. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to calculate odds ratios(OR), aiming to investigate factors related to self perceived health status. Results: The OR for self perceived health status as poor was statistically significant for females at 2.32(95% CI 1.47-3.67), for individuals working in greenhouses at 1.43(95% CI 1.01-1.98), for current smoker at 1.50(95% CI 1.02-2.08), and for those who experienced symptoms after pesticide exposure at 1.74(95% CI 1.13-2.67). An annual income of 50 million won or more had a statistically significant OR of 0.51(95% CI 0.28-0.91), education level of high school and above had an OR of 0.45(95% CI 0.32-0.63), and engaging in physical exercise had an OR of 0.61(95% CI 0.42-0.89). Conclusions The factors related to self perceived health status were identified as sex, smoking, cultivation type, presence of symptoms after pesticide exposure, annual income, education level, and exercise status. The significance of this study lies in providing foundational data for the development of health management programs for farmers.

Background: Glyphosate and glufosinate use widely used as herbicide ingredients. There have been several reported cases of chemical burns caused by dermal exposure to glyphosatecontaining herbicide, and patients in these cases were discharged without fatal complications.There were no cases of severe symptoms due to non-oral exposure of glufosinate-containing herbicides. Here, we report a case of fatality accompanied with severe chemical burns in an 81-year-old man who did not wash his skin for more than 48 hours after dermal exposure to herbicide containing glyphosate and glufosinate with surfactant (HGlyGluS).Case presentation: An 81-year-old male with no underlying disease was admitted to the emergency department (ED). He had sprayed HGlyGluS with a manual knapsack sprayer 3 days ago and had not wash away the herbicide. On arrival, he was drowsy and had multiple severe corrosive skin lesions. Skin necrosis (10 × 15 cm) on the right shoulder and skin lesions with subcutaneous fat exposure (15 × 20 cm) on the right thigh were observed. Although he was treated including continuous renal replacement therapy, antibiotic apply, debridement operations, and so on, he was unable to recover and expired. Conclusions We suggest that prolonged dermal exposure to HGlyGluS induces fatality.Further studies including prolonged dermal exposure and ingredients of surfactants should be carried out. Also, it is necessary to educate farmers that it is very important to wash immediately after dermal exposure to pesticide.

Background: Glyphosate and glufosinate use widely used as herbicide ingredients. There have been several reported cases of chemical burns caused by dermal exposure to glyphosatecontaining herbicide, and patients in these cases were discharged without fatal complications.There were no cases of severe symptoms due to non-oral exposure of glufosinate-containing herbicides. Here, we report a case of fatality accompanied with severe chemical burns in an 81-year-old man who did not wash his skin for more than 48 hours after dermal exposure to herbicide containing glyphosate and glufosinate with surfactant (HGlyGluS).Case presentation: An 81-year-old male with no underlying disease was admitted to the emergency department (ED). He had sprayed HGlyGluS with a manual knapsack sprayer 3 days ago and had not wash away the herbicide. On arrival, he was drowsy and had multiple severe corrosive skin lesions. Skin necrosis (10 × 15 cm) on the right shoulder and skin lesions with subcutaneous fat exposure (15 × 20 cm) on the right thigh were observed. Although he was treated including continuous renal replacement therapy, antibiotic apply, debridement operations, and so on, he was unable to recover and expired. Conclusions We suggest that prolonged dermal exposure to HGlyGluS induces fatality.Further studies including prolonged dermal exposure and ingredients of surfactants should be carried out. Also, it is necessary to educate farmers that it is very important to wash immediately after dermal exposure to pesticide.

BACKGROUND: The objective of the present study is to identify differences in the prevalence of acute occupational pesticide poisoning across Korean orchard farmers' farming characteristics and the risk factors that have an effect on acute occupational pesticide poisoning. METHODS: For 3 years (2014, 2015, and 2017), a questionnaire survey was conducted on 394 orchard farmers in some parts of south Chungcheong Province in relation to pesticide poisoning. 323 orchard farmers who responded to acute occupational pesticide poisoning were included for final analysis. With acute occupational pesticide poisoning as the dependent variable, a χ² test and a multiple logistic regression analysis were conducted. RESULTS: The results of the prevalence of acute occupational pesticide poisoning across farming characteristics showed that the group wearing 4 or more pesticide personal protective equipment (PPE) had a lower prevalence of acute occupational pesticide poisoning than the group wearing 3 or less pesticide PPE (p < 0.05). Furthermore, an analysis by area of fruit farming revealed that the group with more than 12,000m² in the area of fruit farming had a higher prevalence of acute occupational pesticide poisoning (p < 0.05). Orchard farmers mainly use a speed sprayer to spray pesticides, and the speed sprayer can be categorized by presence of cabin. The analysis of the prevalence of acute occupational pesticide poisoning by speed sprayer's cabin existence found that existence of speed sprayer's cabin did not show a statistically significant difference in the prevalence of acute occupational pesticide poisoning. CONCLUSIONS The present study analyzed the prevalence of acute occupational pesticide poisoning depending on the speed sprayer's cabin existence and found no significant difference. The fact that famers using the cabinless style speed sprayer shows a higher percentage in wearing PPE than those using the cabin style speed sprayer is suggested to elucidate the result. As the first study in Korea which examined the prevalence of acute occupational pesticide poisoning by speed sprayer's cabin existence, the present study proposes the expected effect that increase of wearing pesticide PPE along with employ of speed sprayer's cabin can reduce the prevalence of acute occupational pesticide poisoning among orchard farmers.

BACKGROUND: This study investigated the relationship between job type and the risk for spontaneous abortion to assess the reproductive toxicity of female workers in the semiconductor industry. METHODS: A questionnaire survey was administered to current female workers of two semiconductor manufacturing plants in Korea. We included female workers who became pregnant at least 6 months after the start of their employment with the company. The pregnancy outcomes of 2,242 female workers who experienced 4,037 pregnancies were investigated. Personnel records were used to assign the subjects to one of three groups: fabrication process workers, packaging process workers, and clerical workers. To adjust for within-person correlations between pregnancies, a generalized estimating equation was used. The logistic regression analysis was limited to the first pregnancy after joining the company to satisfy the assumption of independence among pregnancies. Moreover, we stratified the analysis by time period (pregnancy in the years prior to 2008 vs. after 2009) to reflect differences in occupational exposure based on semiconductor production periods. RESULTS: The risk for spontaneous abortion in female semiconductor workers was not significantly higher for fabrication and packaging process workers than for clerical workers. However, when we stratified by time period, the odds ratio for spontaneous abortion was significantly higher for packaging process workers who became pregnant prior to 2008 when compared with clerical workers (odds ratio: 2.21; 95% confidence interval: 1.01–4.81). CONCLUSIONS: When examining the pregnancies of female semiconductor workers that occurred prior to 2008, packaging process workers showed a significantly higher risk for spontaneous abortions than did clerical workers. The two semiconductor production periods in our study (prior to 2008 vs. after 2009) had different automated processes, chemical exposure levels, and working environments. Thus, the conditions prior to 2008 may have increased the risk for spontaneous abortions in packaging process workers in the semiconductor industry. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s40557-017-0204-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Abortion, Spontaneous* ; Chemical Processes ; Clergy ; Employment ; Female ; Female* ; Humans ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Occupational Exposure ; Odds Ratio ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Product Packaging ; Semiconductors*

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between residential district of people, such as power plant, steel-mill and petrochemical industries, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). METHODS: Using a cross-sectional study design, we randomly recruited participants for our study from industrial areas (thermoelectric power plant, steel-mill, petrochemical industry) and rural areas. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify the relationships between Euro quality of life-5 dimension (EQ-5D) scores and living region, while controlling for sociodemographic characteristics. RESULTS: In adjusted model, quality of life decreased with increasing category of age and were lower for females than males. EQ-5D scores of people living in the vicinity of thermoelectric power plant were significant lower than those of people living the vicinity of comparison region (odds ratio, 1.59; 95% confidence interval, 1.00 to 2.53). CONCLUSIONS: Living region of thermoelectric power plant, was strongly associated with scores on the EQ-5D. More research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms which makes the relationship with the living regions and HRQoL.
Chungcheongnam-do* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Power Plants ; Quality of Life* ; Republic of Korea

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the risk factors associated with depression and suicidal ideation in a rural population. METHODS: A survey was conducted with 543 farmers from Chungcheongnam-do Province using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) for depression, Lubben Social Network Scale (LSNS) for social support, Swedish Q16 for neurotoxicity symptoms and a survey tool for farmer’s syndrome. RESULTS: After adjusting for socioeconomic factors using logistic regression analysis, poor self-rated health, low social support and neurotoxicity were positively associated with the risk of depression (odds ratio [OR], 15.96; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.11 to 81.97; OR, 3.14; 95% CI, 1.26 to 7.82; and OR, 3.68; 95% CI, 1.08 to 12.57, respectively). The risk of suicidal ideation significantly increased with low social support, neurotoxicity and farmer’s syndrome (OR, 2.28; 95% CI, 1.18 to 4.40; OR, 6.17; 95% CI, 2.85 to 13.34; and OR, 3.70; 95% CI, 1.51 to 9.07, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Given the overall results of this study, there is a need to establish programs which can improve the health and social relationships of farmers. Also, when farmers have neurological symptoms from pesticide exposure and characteristic symptoms of farmer’s syndrome, a monitoring system for depression and suicide must be made available.Conclusions: Given the overall results of this study, there is a need to establish programs which can improve the health and social relationships of farmers. Also, when farmers have neurological symptoms from pesticide exposure and characteristic symptoms of farmer's syndrome, a monitoring system for depression and suicide must be made available.
Chungcheongnam-do ; Depression* ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Farmers ; Logistic Models ; Risk Factors* ; Rural Population* ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Suicidal Ideation* ; Suicide