The objective of this study was to develop a simple and rapid method that could detect and discriminate four specific pesticides (isocarbophos, omethoate, phorate, and profenofos) using a single aptamer-based capture procedure followed by Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS). The aptamer is a single stranded DNA sequence that is specific to capture these four pesticides. The thiolated apt...

BACKGROUND Chlorinated pesticides have been used in pest control for several decades in the world. These compounds are still applied in many regions, and their continuous usage has resulted in their bioaccumulation and residue in the food chain. These residues could transfer to food products and accumulate in fat tissues. Undoubtedly, the breast milk could be a significant biomarker for estimat...

The Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 (FQPA) requires the EPA to consider "available information concerning the cumulative effects of such residues and other substances that have a common mechanism of toxicity ... in establishing, modifying, leaving in effect, or revoking a tolerance for a pesticide chemical residue." This directive raises a number of scientific questions to be answered befor...

Rates of pesticide use in Chinese agriculture are five times greater than the global average, leading to high exposure via the diet. Many are neurotoxic, making prenatal pesticide exposure a concern. Previous studies of prenatal exposure in China focused almost entirely on organochlorines. Here the study goals were to characterize the exposure of Chinese newborns to all classes of pesticides an...

The aim of this study was to develop a simple and efficient sample preparation methodology in pesticide multiresidue analysis that shortens the analytical process during extraction and cleanup. We have conducted recovery tests of about 300 pesticides in foods with a modified method reported previously. Ten g of sample was extracted with 20 ml of acetonitrile using a high-speed homogenizer. One ...

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this work was to compare DNA damage, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, inflammatory markers and clinical symptoms in farmers exposed to organophosphorus pesticides to individuals that had no pesticide exposure. MATERIALS AND METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional survey with a total of 134 people. The subject group consisted of 67 farmers who were exposed to organ...

BACKGROUND In Egypt, many pesticides are used to control pests in agricultural farms. Our study aimed to investigate knowledge and behaviors of farmers related to pesticide use and their relation to educational level and health locus of control. Health locus of control is the degree to which individuals believe that their health is controlled by internal or external factors. METHODS A cross-s...

We previously showed that potential prenatal exposure to agricultural pesticides was associated with adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in children, yet the effects of joint exposure to multiple pesticides is poorly understood. In this paper, we investigate associations between the joint distribution of agricultural use patterns of multiple pesticides (denoted as "pesticide profiles") applied ...

The pollution of surface water by recently used pesticides in Mekong Delta, a main drinking water source, is increasing both on the concentration residues and the polluted area [1,2]. Nanofiltration (NF) is arising as the most appropriate method for removal of pesticides with not only a good efficiency but also low energy consumption in comparison with other pressure-driven membrane processes [...

Agricultural pesticides account for at least 250,000 suicide deaths each year, making pesticides the single most common means of suicide worldwide [1,2]. The proportion of suicide deaths attributable to pesticide self-poisoning varies considerably across the world: in Europe and the Americas fewer than 5% of suicide deaths involve pesticides; in the Eastern Mediterranean, African, and Southeast...