Effects of Pesticides on Haematology, Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) and Tri-iodothyronine (T3) Hormones of Agricultural Workers in Swat, Pakistan

Abstract

Swat valley is famous for its high production of agriculture crops. These crops are under constant attacks by different pests and use of pesticides has become very crucial for the control of these pests. Pesticides are toxic substances used to kill organisms which are competing humans for food and may also pose risk to humans. The current study was performed to investigate the effects of pesticides on blood circulating hormones (Thyroid stimulating hormone [TSH], Tri-iodothyronine [T3],and haematological parameters of agriculture workers. A total of 30 blood samples were collected from male agriculture workers who have been exposed to pesticides in crop fields for a long period of time, while 30 blood samples have been taken from the group of people in meanwhile who were not dealing with pesticides. The blood samples were collected in a randomized manner. The haematological parameters and hormones levels were determined using standard methods. The mean and standard deviation values for each parameter were calculated using statistical software Minitab version 16. Paired t-test was used to find the significance of data and p-value of ≤ 0.05 at 95% confidence interval was considered as the significant. The analysis showed a decrease in the level of TSH and an increase in the level of T3 hormone in group of people who have been exposed to pesticides in comparison to the other group of people who have not been exposed to pesticides (control). The haematological parameters did not show a uniform pattern upon exposures to pesticides. The white blood cells and platelets were the most affected parameters. This preliminary study would be helpful to determine the future risk of diseases in agriculture workers.