Effects of organophopsphorus pesticides on agricultural workers in Jordan

Abstract EN

The effect of organophosphorus (OP) pesticides on the whole blood cholinesterase (ChE) was evaluated in the field.

The study included 18 agricultural workers and a group of 18 non-agricultural individuals as control.

The averages of ChE activity in the blood of agricultural workers ranged from 55.00% - 65.5% during the agricultural season from December to May, In the control group of non-agricultural workers, the enzyme activity ranged from 81.94% - 91.28%, and this was significantly higher (P<0.01) than that of the agricultural workers.

Two months after the end of the spraying season, the average ChE activity in the blood of agriudtural workers was 91.66%.

The enzyme activity was significantly higher than its activity in the same group during the spraying season.

However, there was no significant difference, in the enzyme activity in the blood of the two groups after two months of the spraying seasons.