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Analysis of Pesticide Exposure and DNA Damage in Immigrant Farmworkers

Author: McCauley, Linda A.
Date Published: 2008


This study was designed to use the Comet assay to describe the association of markers of DNA damage in oral leukocytes with biomarkers of pesticide exposures in 134 farmworkers working in berry crops in Oregon compared to control populations. No Comet parameter was significantly associated with years spent working in agriculture, age, sex, body mass index, diet, and alcohol or tobacco use. The results of this study demonstrate the feasibility for using the Comet assay in biomonitoring studies of farmworkers. Additional studies are needed to examine the effects of different pesticide types on DNA damage and to capture the temporal relationship between the exposure to agricultural chemicals and changes in Comet parameters.

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Number of Pages: 10