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Actual medical and ergonomic problems in agriculture in the Ukraine
Abstract
A new agrarian policy in a number of countries caused the necessity to introduce additional measures aimed at preventing of agricultural workers' health. The epidemiological studies in the Ukraine revealed the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases (ischemic heart disease, arterial hypertension) particularly among operators of agricultural machines and workers being in contact with pesticides. The state of health of women working in greenhouses and those in sugar beet growing is assessed. The rate of spontaneous abortions and other pregnancy disorders as well as the retardation in physical development of newborns and infants are evaluated. The necessity to improve the ergonomy of agricultural machines, to increase their quality and reliability is emphasized. The search of physiological optimum of efforts to steering wheel and pedals is given as an example. This approach is of general significance and can be applied to road-building machines as well. The role of pesticide management in the Ukraine is also considered in this paper. The damage to human health and the environment is most often connected with violations of regulations, or persistent usage of highly toxic substances. The most urgent tasks are the revision of the registered and applied pesticides, development of new ecological and hygienic standards, improvement of biomonitoring methods and efficiency of the state sanitary supervision.
... This fact is particularly true for men who are habitual consumers of sea food, for example, Swedish fishermen and Inuits. Another particular population exposed to these pollutants is the one in Ukraine where DDT, although officially banned in the late 1970s (Kundiev 1994, Gladen et al. 1999), was still used until the late 1980s (Li et al. 2005). There are limited and somehow contradictory epidemiological evidences on whether PCBs, and possibly DDT/DDE can damage human sperm DNA (Rozati et al. 2002, Hauser et al. 2003a, Rignell-Hydbom et al. 2005). ...
Persistent organochlorine pollutants (POPs) are suspected to interfere with hormone activity and the normal homeostasis of spermatogenesis. We investigated the relationships between sperm DNA fragmentation, apoptotic markers identified on ejaculated spermatozoa and POP levels in the blood of 652 adult males (200 Inuits from Greenland, 166 Swedish, 134 Polish and 152 Ukrainian). Serum levels of 2, 2', 4, 4', 5, 5'-hexachlorobiphenyl (CB-153), as a proxy of the total POP burden, and of 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)-ethylene (p,p'-DDE), as a proxy of the total DDT exposure were determined. Sperm DNA fragmentation was measured by using the TUNEL assay, whereas immunofluorescence methods were utilized for detecting pro-apoptotic (Fas) and anti-apoptotic (Bcl-xL) markers. Both TUNEL assay and apoptotic markers were statistically differed across the four populations. No correlation between neither sperm DNA fragmentation nor apoptotic sperm parameters and the large variations in POPs exposure was observed for the separate study groups. However, considering the European populations taken together, we showed that both %TUNEL positivity and Bcl-xL were related to CB-153 serum levels, whereas our study failed to demonstrate any relations between DDE and %TUNEL positivity and apoptotic sperm biomarkers (Fas and Bcl-xL) in any region or overall regions. These results suggest that CB-153 and related chemicals might alter sperm DNA integrity and Bcl-xL levels in European adult males, but not in the highly exposed Inuit men. Additional issues (genetic background, lifestyle habits and characterization of total xeno-hormonal activities) need to be investigated in order to fully assess the population variations observed.
Despite considerable concern regarding the effects on reproductive outcome of exposures to pesticides, convincing evidence for the developmental toxicity of occupational and environmental pesticide exposure in humans is lacking. In this comprehensive review of the English language epidemiologic literature, we summarize studies that have examined potential associations between fetal deaths (both spontaneous abortions and stillbirths) and specific pesticides, as well as maternal and paternal employment in occupations with potential for exposure. While many of the epidemiologic studies to date suffer from methodologic problems, the data are suggestive of increased risks of fetal deaths associated with pesticides in general and maternal employment in the agricultural industry. There is a clear need for epidemiologic research that focuses on specific pesticide products or chemical families, with improved exposure assessment. The potential role of solvents in developmental toxicity associated with pesticide use by both males and females should also be considered.
It is estimated that close to 30% of all pregnancies end in spontaneous abortion. Although about 60% of spontaneous abortions are thought to be due to genetic, infectious, hormonal, and immunological factors, the role of the environment remains poorly understood. Pregnancy involves a delicate balance of hormonal and immunological functions, which may be affected by environmental substances. Many toxic substances that are persistent in the environment and accumulate in the fatty tissues may disrupt this equilibrium. This overview addresses known risk factors for spontaneous abortions and examines the role, if any, that environmental factors (chemical and physical) may play in the etiology of this adverse health outcome.
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