Health Effects of Pesticide Exposure in Latin American and the Caribbean Populations: A Scoping Review

BACKGROUND: Multiple epidemiological studies have shown that exposure to pesticides is associated with adverse health outcomes. However, the literature on pesticide-related health effects in the Latin American and the Caribbean (LAC) region, an area of intensive agricultural and residential pesticide use, is sparse. We conducted a scoping review to describe the current state of research on the health effects of pesticide exposure in LAC populations with the goal of identifying knowledge gaps and research capacity building needs. METHODS: We searched PubMed and SciELO for epidemiological studies on pesticide exposure and human health in LAC populations published between January 2007 and December 2021. We identified 233 publications from 16 countries that met our inclusion criteria and grouped them by health outcome (genotoxicity, neurobehavioral outcomes, placental outcomes and teratogenicity, cancer, thyroid function, reproductive outcomes, birth outcomes and child growth, and others). RESULTS: Most published studies were conducted in Brazil (37%, n = 88) and Mexico (20%, n = 46), were cross-sectional in design (72%, n = 167), and focused on farmworkers (45%, n = 105) or children (21%, n = 48). The most frequently studied health effects included genotoxicity (24%, n = 62) and neurobehavioral outcomes (21%, n = 54), and organophosphate (OP) pesticides were the most frequently examined (26%, n = 81). Forty-seven percent (n = 112) of the studies relied only on indirect pesticide exposure assessment methods. Exposure to OP pesticides, carbamates, or to multiple pesticide classes was consistently associated with markers of genotoxicity and adverse neurobehavioral outcomes, particularly among children and farmworkers. DISCUSSION: Our scoping review provides some evidence that exposure to pesticides may adversely impact the health of LAC populations, but methodological limitations and inconsistencies undermine the strength of the conclusions. It is critical to increase capacity building, integrate research initiatives, and conduct more rigorous epidemiological studies in the region to address these limitations, better inform public health surveillance systems, and maximize the impact of research on public policies.
Fil: Zúñiga-Venegas, Liliana A. Universidad Católica del Maule. Centro de Investigaciones de Estudios Avanzados del Maule; Chile
Fil: Hyland, Carly. University of California. School of Public Health. Center for Environmental Research and Community Health; Estados Unidos
Fil: Hyland, Carly. Boise State University. School of Public Health and Population Science; Estados Unidos
Fil: Muñoz-Quezada, María Teresa. Universidad Católica del Maule. Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud. Centro de Investigación en Neuropsicología y Neurociencias Cognitivas; Chile
Fil: Quirós-Alcalá, Lesliam. John Hopkins University. Bloomberg School of Public Health. Department of Environmental Health and Engineering; Estados Unidos
Fil: Quirós-Alcalá, Lesliam. University of Maryland. School of Public Health. Maryland Institute of Applied Environmental Health; Estados Unidos
Fil: Butinof, Mariana. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas; Argentina
Fil: Buralli, Rafael. Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Saúde Pública. Departamento de Saúde Ambiental; Brasil
Fil: Cardenas, Andres. University of California. School of Public Health. Center for Environmental Research and Community Health; Estados Unidos
Fil: Fernandez, Ricardo A. Universidad Católica de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud; Argentina
Fil: Foerster, Claudia. Universidad de O’Higgins. Instituto de Ciencias de la Agroalimentarias, Animales y Ambientales; Chile
Fil: Gouveia, Nelson. Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Medicina. Departamento de Medicina Preventiva; Brasil
Fil: Jara, Juan P. Gutiérrez. Universidad Católica del Maule. Centro de Investigaciones de Estudios Avanzados del Maule; Chile
Fil: Lucero, Boris A. Universidad Católica del Maule. Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud. Centro de Investigación en Neuropsicología y Neurociencias Cognitivas; Chile
Fil: Muñoz, María Pía. Universidad de Chile. Facultad de Medicina. Escuela de Salud Pública; Chile
Fil: Ramírez-Santana, Muriel. Universidad Católica del Norte. Facultad de Medicina. Departamento de Salud Pública; Chile
Fil: Smith, Anna R. University of California. School of Public Health. Center for Environmental Research and Community Health; Estados Unidos
Fil: Tirado, Noemi. Universidad Mayor de San Andrés. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Genética; Bolivia
Fil: de Joode, Berna van Wendel. Universidad Nacional. Central American Institute for Studies on Toxic Substances. Infants’ Environmental Health Study; Costa Rica
Fil: Calaf, Gloria M. Universidad de Tarapacá. Instituto de Alta Investigación; Chile
Fil: Calaf, Gloria M. Columbia University Medical Center; Estados Unidos
Fil: Handal, Alexis J. University of Michigan School of Public Health. Department of Epidemiology; Estados Unidos
Fil: da Silva, Agnes Soares. Pan American Health Organization. Estados Unidos
Fil: Cortés, Sandra. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Departamento de Salud Pública. Centro de Desarrollo Urbano Sustentable. Centro Avanzado de Enfermedades Crónicas (ACCDiS); Chile
Fil: Mora, Ana M. University of California. School of Public Health. Center for Environmental Research and Community Health; Estados Unidos
Fil: Mora, Ana M. Universidad Nacional. Central American Institute for Studies on Toxic Substances. Infants’ Environmental Health Study; Costa Rica