Clinical and Biochemical Characteristics of Male Workers in a Pesticide Production Factory in Guilan Province, Iran

The significant increase in the use of pesticides has increased the concern about its possible harm to individual health and the environment. Chronic inflammation with some pesticides and insecticides has serious effects on different organs of the body even before clinical symptoms appear. In this study, we aimed to evaluate biochemical findings in the insecticide production factory in Guilan province, Iran.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 99 workers exposed to insecticides and 107 people without exposure in an insecticide production factory in Guilan with an available sampling method during 2020. Demographical data and clinical charaterictics of participants, such as symptoms of chronic insecticide poisoning, focusing on the respiratory system (cough, shortness of breath, etc.), neurological system (fatigue, tremors, cramps, muscle weakness, etc), the psychological system (sleep disorder, anxiety, etc.) and the skin system (redness, itching, etc.) were collected from the occupational health records of the employees. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software (version 16).

The results of this study showed that the frequency of symptoms such as headache, skin itching, cough, and sleep disorder was higher in the exposure group (P<0.05). Based on the biochemical findings, blood urea and creatinine, alkaline phosphatase, and fasting blood sugar levels were significantly higher in the exposure group than in the non-exposure group (P<0.05). Thrombocytosis was observed in 9.09% of workers in the exposed group and it was more common in workers with more than 11 years of work experience.

Chronic exposure to insecticides may cause thrombosis and changes in biochemical indicators such as increased blood urea and creatinine, alkaline phosphatase, and fasting blood sugar, and may be associated with clinical symptoms such as headache, itching, cough, and sleep disturbance. Be it is suggested that various types of biological monitoring should be done in workers exposed to insecticides in various time duration.