Effects of Organophosphorus Pesticides on Cardiorespiratory Parameters among the Farmers

Indiscriminate use and improper handling of synthetic pesticides in agriculture have resulted in serious problems such as asthma, wheeze and chronic bronchitis among the farmers. Though number of studies have been done on pesticide exposure and its effect on cardiorespiratory parameters in Northern India, only few studies were done in Southern India, thus this study was chosen. To find the cardiorespiratory changes in farm workers exposed to organophosphorus pesticides. Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR), blood pressure, pulse rate were measured among 35 farm workers of Palayam and Naduveerpattu village of Cuddalore district and 35 age, sex, BMI matched controls were taken from urban area and the same parameters were measured in both groups from 10 am-12 am in the morning. History of use of personal protective equipments like face mask, eye mask, special clothes, shoes, hat, history of respiratory symptoms and hygienic work practices was also obtained from the farmers. Chi-square test was used to analyse the qualitative data. All values were expressed as Mean±SD. Students unpaired t-test was used to compare PEFR between two groups and to compare the duration of exposure and PEFR using GRAPH PAD PRISM. The p