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Review
. 2021 Sep 20;18(18):9907.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph18189907.

Impact of Pesticide Exposure among Rural and Urban Female Population. An Overview

Bouchra Dahiri  1 , José Martín-Reina  1 , Pilar Carbonero-Aguilar  1 , José Raúl Aguilera-Velázquez  2 , Juan Bautista  2 , Isabel Moreno  1
Affiliations
Review

Impact of Pesticide Exposure among Rural and Urban Female Population. An Overview

Bouchra Dahiri et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Pesticides are substances that have become widely used in agriculture and the human exposure to these substances may cause adverse health outcomes. Non-occupational exposure to them can come from many sources, such as food or water. For occupational exposure, many studies have been conducted in men, as they have been mostly in charge of work related to these substances. Nonetheless, the information available concerning the exposure in women is very scarce. In addition, an important differentiation between rural and urban areas has been established, rural areas being known as the most exposed ones due to plantation fields. However, the application of higher concentrations of herbicides in small urban areas is taking a lot of importance currently as well. Regardless of gender, the conditions of exposure, and the environment, the exposure to these pesticides can have different effects on health from early life stages, resulting in different outcomes ranging from neurodevelopmental effects in newborns to different types of cancers. In this review, we discussed the toxicity of the most commonly used pesticides and the main impact on the health of the general population, focusing mainly on the effect in women from both rural and urban areas, and the different stages of development, from pregnancy or lactation to the outcomes of these exposures for their children.

Keywords: children; health; lactation; pesticides; pregnancy; women.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic representation of data handling.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Stages of vulnerability related to the exposure to pesticides in women and children.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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