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The relationship between urinary organophosphate pesticide residues and reproductive development among boys living in the rural Western Cape

Background: Many contemporary agricultural pesticides are hormonally active, but few previous studies have investigated their effect on the reproductive health and growth of pubertal boys. A previous analysis found significant differences in serum reproductive hormone levels and lower anthropometric...

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Main Author: Monate, Pearl Naledi
Other Authors: Dalvie, Mohamed Aqiel
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Department of Public Health and Family Medicine 2019
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access_status_str Open Access
author Monate, Pearl Naledi
author2 Dalvie, Mohamed Aqiel
author_browse Dalvie, Mohamed Aqiel
Monate, Pearl Naledi
author_facet Dalvie, Mohamed Aqiel
Monate, Pearl Naledi
author_sort Monate, Pearl Naledi
collection Thesis
description Background: Many contemporary agricultural pesticides are hormonally active, but few previous studies have investigated their effect on the reproductive health and growth of pubertal boys. A previous analysis found significant differences in serum reproductive hormone levels and lower anthropometric measurements as well as non-significant lower sexual maturity ratings and testicular sizes in farm boys compared to non-farm boys from the rural Western Cape in South Africa. Methodology: This analysis included 183 out of 269 school boys residing on farms and neighbouring nonfarming areas who provided urine samples in a cross-sectional study. Measurements included a questionnaire, clinical assessment of sexual maturity development (SMD), anthropometric measurements (height, weight and body mass index (BMI)), serum reproductive hormones (including luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), testosterone and oestradiol (E2)) and urinary levels of 3 dialkyl phosphates (organophosphate pesticide metabolites) including di-ethyl, di-methyl and di-methyl triphosphate (DEP, DMP and DMTP). Results: The median (interquartile range) of age and sum dialkyl phosphates of the school boys was 12 years (9-13 years) and 68.3 ng/mL (27.9-129.5 ng/mL) respectively. There were consistent, mostly non-significant associations with some dose response relationships between urinary levels of dialkyl phosphates and adverse effects on outcomes including SMD, serum reproductive hormones and anthropometric development. The strongest results included a strong positive association and dose response found between serum oestradiol > the 50th percentile and quartiles DMTP (odd ratio and confidence interval for highest and lowest quartile: 7.4; 1.7-32.4) and between BMI <50th percentile and quartiles of DMTP (odd ratio and confidence interval for highest and lowest quartile: 3.2; 1.2-9.0). Conclusion: The results provide some preliminary evidence that organophosphate pesticides exposure could alter the reproductive hormone levels and adversely affect the body size of school boys. There was also lack of evidence of other adverse effects on reproductive development. These findings require further investigation in a larger longitudinal study with seasonal bio-monitoring for pesticides.
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license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
publishDate 2019
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spelling oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/29591 The relationship between urinary organophosphate pesticide residues and reproductive development among boys living in the rural Western Cape Monate, Pearl Naledi Dalvie, Mohamed Aqiel Basera, Wisdom Epidemiology Background: Many contemporary agricultural pesticides are hormonally active, but few previous studies have investigated their effect on the reproductive health and growth of pubertal boys. A previous analysis found significant differences in serum reproductive hormone levels and lower anthropometric measurements as well as non-significant lower sexual maturity ratings and testicular sizes in farm boys compared to non-farm boys from the rural Western Cape in South Africa. Methodology: This analysis included 183 out of 269 school boys residing on farms and neighbouring nonfarming areas who provided urine samples in a cross-sectional study. Measurements included a questionnaire, clinical assessment of sexual maturity development (SMD), anthropometric measurements (height, weight and body mass index (BMI)), serum reproductive hormones (including luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), testosterone and oestradiol (E2)) and urinary levels of 3 dialkyl phosphates (organophosphate pesticide metabolites) including di-ethyl, di-methyl and di-methyl triphosphate (DEP, DMP and DMTP). Results: The median (interquartile range) of age and sum dialkyl phosphates of the school boys was 12 years (9-13 years) and 68.3 ng/mL (27.9-129.5 ng/mL) respectively. There were consistent, mostly non-significant associations with some dose response relationships between urinary levels of dialkyl phosphates and adverse effects on outcomes including SMD, serum reproductive hormones and anthropometric development. The strongest results included a strong positive association and dose response found between serum oestradiol > the 50th percentile and quartiles DMTP (odd ratio and confidence interval for highest and lowest quartile: 7.4; 1.7-32.4) and between BMI <50th percentile and quartiles of DMTP (odd ratio and confidence interval for highest and lowest quartile: 3.2; 1.2-9.0). Conclusion: The results provide some preliminary evidence that organophosphate pesticides exposure could alter the reproductive hormone levels and adversely affect the body size of school boys. There was also lack of evidence of other adverse effects on reproductive development. These findings require further investigation in a larger longitudinal study with seasonal bio-monitoring for pesticides. 2019-02-18T10:15:54Z 2019-02-18T10:15:54Z 2018 2019-02-18T09:31:41Z Master Thesis Masters MPH http://hdl.handle.net/11427/29591 eng application/pdf Department of Public Health and Family Medicine Faculty of Health Sciences University of Cape Town
spellingShingle Epidemiology
Monate, Pearl Naledi
The relationship between urinary organophosphate pesticide residues and reproductive development among boys living in the rural Western Cape
thesis_degree_str Master's
title The relationship between urinary organophosphate pesticide residues and reproductive development among boys living in the rural Western Cape
title_full The relationship between urinary organophosphate pesticide residues and reproductive development among boys living in the rural Western Cape
title_fullStr The relationship between urinary organophosphate pesticide residues and reproductive development among boys living in the rural Western Cape
title_full_unstemmed The relationship between urinary organophosphate pesticide residues and reproductive development among boys living in the rural Western Cape
title_short The relationship between urinary organophosphate pesticide residues and reproductive development among boys living in the rural Western Cape
title_sort relationship between urinary organophosphate pesticide residues and reproductive development among boys living in the rural western cape
topic Epidemiology
url http://hdl.handle.net/11427/29591
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