The relationship between pesticide metabolites and asthma outcomes among women farm workers

Includes bibliographical references.Various studies have demonstrated an association between exposure to pesticides and adverse respiratory health outcomes including non-specific respiratory symptoms, rhinitis and asthma. Few studies have investigated the relationship between pesticide metabolites and asthma outcomes and only a limited number have explored mechanisms for allergic and non-allergic airway inflammation in individuals exposed to pesticides. A previous sub-study of this group reported an association between allergic airway inflammation as determined by fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) and low levels of whole blood cholinesterase among women farm workers. The main objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between exposure to different pesticides (ascertained through pesticide metabolites concentrations in urine) and asthma phenotypes (based on respiratory symptoms, cytokine patterns and exhaled nitric oxide profiles) among rural women in the Western Cape Province