Cumulative and daily intensity of pesticide exposure and lung function among all exposed workers, male applicators and female re-entry workers (effects are presented as a change in continuous lung function parameters (β)† and as OR† for dichotomous variables)
| Respiratory parameters | FVC (L) | FEV1 (L) | FEV1/FVC<0.8 | FEF 25%–75% (L/s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| β (95% CI) | β (95% CI) | OR (95% CI) | β (95% CI) | |
| Cumulative exposure | ||||
| Exposure status | ||||
| Unexposed (n=157) | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Exposed (n=159) | −0.05 (−0.18 to 0.07) | −0.14** (−0.25 to −0.03) | 4.31*** (2.11 to 8.81) | −0.55*** (−0.80 to −0.31) |
| Male applicators | ||||
| Unexposed (n=102) | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| <Median (n=46) | −0.04 (−0.28 to 0.20) | −0.19 (−0.39 to 0.02) | 8.36** (2.36 to 29.60) | −0.71** (−1.17 to −0.24) |
| ≥Median (n=57) | −0.06 (−0.26 to 0.15) | −0.15 (−0.33 to 0.03) | 8.49*** (2.93 to 24.67) | −0.58** (−0.98 to −0.19) |
| Female re-entry workers | ||||
| Unexposed (n=55) | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | |
| <Median (n=29) | −0.01 (−0.24 to 0.23) | −0.08 (−0.29 to 0.13) | 2.63 (0.65 to 10.68) | −0.56* (−1.00 to −0.13) |
| ≥Median (n=27) | −0.12 (−0.36 to 0.11) | −0.15 (−0.35 to 0.06) | 1.55 (0.41 to 5.88) | −0.39 (−0.81 to 0.04) |
| Daily exposure | ||||
| Male applicators | ||||
| Unexposed (n=102) | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| <Median (n=46) | 0.01 (−0.21 to 0.22) | −0.11 (−0.30 to 0.07) | 7.64*** (2.50 to 23.34) | −0.59** (−1.00 to −0.17) |
| ≥Median (n=57) | −0.10 (−0.32 to 0.10) | −0.21** (−0.39 to −0.03) | 9.34*** (3.06 to 28.56) | −0.69** (−1.09 to −0.27) |
| Female re-entry workers | ||||
| Unexposed (n=55) | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | |
| <Median (n=29) | −0.02 (−0.21 to 0.22) | −0.07 (−0.27 to 0.13) | 1.49 (0.38 to 5.77) | −0.45* (−0.87 to −0.02) |
| ≥Median (n=27) | −0.10 (−0.32 to 0.11) | −0.16 (−0.37 to 0.05) | 2.52 (0.68 to 9.36) | −0.50* (−0.94 to −0.06) |
*p<0.05, **p<0.01, ***p<0.001; in bold.
†The (β) values and ORs were adjusted for gender (where relevant), age, body mass index, smoking status, ever pneumonia, income, and marital and khat chewing status.
FEF, forced expiratory flow.