Pesticides Usage in Agriculture among Rural Women in Egypt: Association Between Serum Organo-Chlorine Pesticide Residues and Occurrence of Diabetes

Organochlorine pesticides were widely used in Egypt; large quantities had been released into the environment, where they became persistent substances both in the environment and in the food chain. The non organized use of pesticides in Egypt has caused immense damage to the environment and human health. Recent studies have reported an association between exposure to organo-chlorines pesticides (OCPs) and impaired blood-glucose regulation. The study aimed to investigate the relation between exposure to specific agricultural pesticides and diabetes incidence among some Egyptian women. The population study consisted of 51 rural women, who help their families in agriculture. For all participants in the study, questionnaires were filled up and, blood samples were obtained for determination of blood glucose levels and of OC pesticides residues. The dieldrin and DDD residues were found almost in all samples, followed by the heptachlor, heptachlor-epoxide and the aldrin respectively and finally the DDE. There was only a significant positive correlation between the heptachlor residue and the blood glucose level of the participants. Evaluation of the attitudes and behavior of the studied population showed a significant association between the heptachlor and DDE residues in the sera of women who didn’t use or have pesticides in their home. This can confirm that the presence of OC pesticides in several environmental compartment like food and soil, may pose another risk factor for the human health. These findings may have relevance to the general population, who suffer greatly from environmentally persistent compounds and the increasing prevalence of diabetes and a further extended study is needed.