Sara A Quandt1, Francis O Walker, Jennifer W Talton, Haiying Chen, Thomas A Arcury. 1. Department Epidemiology and Prevention, Division of Public Health Sciences (Dr Quandt); Center for Worker Health (Dr Quandt, Dr Walker, Dr Chen, Dr Arcury); Department of Neurology (Dr Walker); Department of Biostatistical Sciences, Division of Public Health Sciences (Ms Talton, Dr Chen); Department of Family and Community Medicine (Dr Arcury), Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: We compared patterns of olfactory function over 2 years in pesticide-exposed male Latino farmworkers and male Latino workers in industries without pesticide exposure. METHODS: At five points over 2 years, workers completed tests of odor threshold (16 concentrations of n-butanol) using a well-established methodology. Tests at two or more time points were completed by 156 farmworkers and 118 non-farmworkers. RESULTS: Farmworkers required significantly higher odorant concentrations at Contact 1 and across the 2-year follow-up to detect the odor. When adjusted for Contact 1, between-group differences persisted, but odor threshold performance did not worsen over time. CONCLUSIONS: Pesticide exposure has been linked to neurodegenerative disease, as has declining olfactory function. Persistently poorer olfactory function among pesticide-exposed workers suggests the need to monitor neurological function in this vulnerable worker population.
OBJECTIVE: We compared patterns of olfactory function over 2 years in pesticide-exposed male Latino farmworkers and male Latino workers in industries without pesticide exposure. METHODS: At five points over 2 years, workers completed tests of odor threshold (16 concentrations of n-butanol) using a well-established methodology. Tests at two or more time points were completed by 156 farmworkers and 118 non-farmworkers. RESULTS: Farmworkers required significantly higher odorant concentrations at Contact 1 and across the 2-year follow-up to detect the odor. When adjusted for Contact 1, between-group differences persisted, but odor threshold performance did not worsen over time. CONCLUSIONS: Pesticide exposure has been linked to neurodegenerative disease, as has declining olfactory function. Persistently poorer olfactory function among pesticide-exposed workers suggests the need to monitor neurological function in this vulnerable worker population.
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