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; ChileFil: Hyland, Carly. University of California. School of Public Health. Center for Environmental Research and Community Health; Estados UnidosFil: Hyland, Carly. Boise State University. School of Public Health and Population Science; Estados UnidosFil: Muñoz-Quezada, María Teresa. Universidad Católica del Maule. Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud. Centro de Investigación en Neuropsicología y Neurociencias Cognitivas; ChileFil: Quirós-Alcalá, Lesliam. John Hopkins University. Bloomberg School of Public Health. Department of Environmental Health and Engineering; Estados UnidosFil: Quirós-Alcalá, Lesliam. University of Maryland. School of Public Health. Maryland Institute of Applied Environmental Health; Estados UnidosFil: Butinof, Mariana. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas; ArgentinaFil: Buralli, Rafael. Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Saúde Pública. Departamento de Saúde Ambiental; BrasilFil: Cardenas, Andres. University of California. School of Public Health. Center for Environmental Research and Community Health; Estados UnidosFil: Fernandez, Ricardo A. Universidad Católica de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud; ArgentinaFil: Foerster, Claudia. Universidad de O’Higgins. Instituto de Ciencias de la Agroalimentarias, Animales y Ambientales; ChileFil: Gouveia, Nelson. Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Medicina. Departamento de Medicina Preventiva; BrasilFil: Jara, Juan P. Gutiérrez. Universidad Católica del Maule. Centro de Investigaciones de Estudios Avanzados del Maule; ChileFil: Lucero, Boris A. Universidad Católica del Maule. Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud. Centro de Investigación en Neuropsicología y Neurociencias Cognitivas; ChileFil: Muñoz, María Pía. Universidad de Chile. Facultad de Medicina. Escuela de Salud Pública; ChileFil: Ramírez-Santana, Muriel. Universidad Católica del Norte. Facultad de Medicina. Departamento de Salud Pública; ChileFil: Smith, Anna R. University of California. School of Public Health. Center for Environmental Research and Community Health; Estados UnidosFil: Tirado, Noemi. Universidad Mayor de San Andrés. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Genética; BoliviaFil: de Joode, Berna van Wendel. Universidad Nacional. Central American Institute for Studies on Toxic Substances. Infants’ Environmental Health Study; Costa RicaFil: Calaf, Gloria M. Universidad de Tarapacá. Instituto de Alta Investigación; ChileFil: Calaf, Gloria M. Columbia University Medical Center; Estados UnidosFil: Handal, Alexis J. University of Michigan School of Public Health. Department of Epidemiology; Estados UnidosFil: da Silva, Agnes Soares. Pan American Health Organization. Estados UnidosFil: Cortés, Sandra. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Departamento de Salud Pública. Centro de Desarrollo Urbano Sustentable. Centro Avanzado de Enfermedades Crónicas (ACCDiS); ChileFil: Mora, Ana M. University of California. School of Public Health. Center for Environmental Research and Community Health; Estados UnidosFil: Mora, Ana M. Universidad Nacional. Central American Institute for Studies on Toxic Substances. Infants’ Environmental Health Study; Costa Ric