Micronuclei frequency in lymphocytes of individuals occupationally exposedto pesticides

Pesticides have been widely used in developing countries over the years. A large amount of these remains in the environment and organisms. Pesticide p ollution is detrimental to human health. The effects can be seen on a short or a long-term basis and the symptoms can vary from headache to cancer. On ly a minority of studies focuses on their genotoxic effect. This study asse sses the genotoxic effect of the pesticides used at banana-packaging plants with binucleate micronuclei assay using cultured lymphocytes. The studied population included 32 exposed and 37 unexposed women from Costa Rica. Ther e is no significant difference between the two groups. However, women who w orked at the packaging plant and had stillbirths or spontaneous abortions w ere 1.45 times more (alpha = 0.06) likely to have an increased micronuclei frequency than their coworkers who lacked those disorders; this may indicat e genetic susceptibility. In vitro pesticides studies and susceptibility bi omarkers are needed to identify subgroups with higher risks.