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Isabelle Baldi,¹ Laurent Filleul,¹ Brahim Mohammed-Brahim,¹ Colette Fabrigoule,² Jean-François Dartigues,² Sandrine Schwall,¹ Jean-Philippe Drevet,³ Roger Salamon,² and Patrick Brochard¹

¹Laboratoire Santé Travail Environnement-Institut de Santé Publique d'Epidémiologie et de Développement, Bordeaux, France; ²INSERM U 330, Bordeaux, France; ³Mutualité Sociale Agricole, Bordeaux, France

Abstract

The Phytoner study investigated a possible association between neuropsychologic performances and long-term exposure to pesticides in Bordeaux vineyard workers, most of whom use fungicides. Among the 917 subjects interviewed from February 1997 to August 1998, 528 were directly exposed to pesticides through mixing and/or spraying (mean exposure duration: 22 years) , 173 were indirectly exposed through contact with treated plants, and 216 were never exposed. All subjects performed neuropsychologic tests administered at home by trained psychologists. The risk of scoring a low performance on the tests was constantly higher in exposed subjects. When taking into account educational level, age, sex, alcohol consumption, smoking, environmental exposures, and depressive symptoms and when restricting analysis to subgroups, results remained significant for most tests, with odds ratios (OR) exceeding 2. These results point to long-term cognitive effects of low-level exposure to pesticides in occupational conditions. Given the frequency of pesticide use and the potential disabilities resulting from cognitive impairments, further toxicologic and epidemiologic research is needed to confirm these results and assess the impact on public health. Key words: agrochemicals, epidemiology, long-term effects, neuropsychologic effects, pesticides, vineyards. Environ Health Perspect 109:839-844 (2001) . [Online 14 August 2001]

http://ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2001/109p839-844baldi/ abstract.html

Address correspondence to I. Baldi, Laboratoire Santé Travail Environnement, Institut de Santé Publique d'Epidémiologie et de Développement, 146 rue Léo Saignat, 33076 Bordeaux cedex, France. Telephone: 33 5 57 57 14 30. Fax: 33 5 57 57 16 98. E-mail: Isabelle.Baldi@isped.u-bordeaux2.fr

We thank the occupational health physicians and secretary of the Association de Médecine du Travail en Agriculture de la Gironde, and the PAQUID research team for their help in collecting the data and their helpful advice.

The Phytoner study was supported by grants from the French Ministry of Environment, the Mutualité Sociale Agricole, the Agence Nationale pour l'Amélioration des Conditions de Travail, the Conseil Régional d'Aquitaine, the Association Recherche et Partage, the Chambre d'Agriculture de Gironde and the Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale.

Received 27 October 2000 ; accepted 26 February 2001.