Burnt sugarcane harvesting: Particulate matter exposure and the effects on lung function, oxidative stress, and urinary 1-hydroxypyrene

• Published in: The Science of the total environment Vol. 437; pp. 200 - 208
• Main Authors: Prado, Gustavo Faibischew, Zanetta, Dirce Maria Trevisan, Arbex, Marcos Abdo, Braga, Alfésio Luís, Pereira, Luiz Alberto Amador, de Marchi, Mary Rosa Rodrigues, de Melo Loureiro, Ana Paula, Marcourakis, Tânia, Sugauara, Lucy Elaine, Gattás, Gilka Jorge Fígaro, Gonçalves, Fernanda Toledo, Salge, João Marcos, Terra-Filho, Mário, de Paula Santos, Ubiratan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier B.V 15-10-2012; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adult; Agriculture - statistics & numerical data; Air; Air Pollutants - adverse effects; Air Pollutants, Occupational - adverse effects; Air Pollution - adverse effects; Air Pollution - statistics & numerical data; antioxidant activity; antioxidants; at-risk population; Biological and medical sciences; Biomass; cough; environmental assessment; Environmental Monitoring - statistics & numerical data; Environmental pollutants toxicology; enzymes; Enzymes - blood; harvesting; Humans; Incidence; labor; Lung - drug effects; Lung - physiopathology; Lung function; Male; malondialdehyde; Malondialdehyde - blood; Medical sciences; Occupational Exposure - adverse effects; Occupational Exposure - statistics & numerical data; Outdoor pollution; Oxidative stress; Oxidative Stress - drug effects; Oxidative Stress - physiology; Particulate matter; Particulate Matter - adverse effects; particulates; plantations; pollutants; Prevalence; Pyrenes - urine; questionnaires; Respiratory Sounds - physiopathology; Saccharum; Sugarcane; towns; Toxicology; volunteers; Young Adult; Outdoor pollution; Oxidative stress; Lung function; Biomass; Sugarcane; Particulate matter; Saccharum; Monocotyledones; Lung; Biological marker; Occupational exposure; Respiratory system; Pollution; Gramineae; Angiospermae; Non occupational; Public health; Human; Urine; Proximity; Respiratory disease; Harvesting; Cane sugar; Exposure; Burning; Suspended particle; Air pollution; Spermatophyta; Occupational medicine
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2012.07.069

Non-mechanised sugarcane harvesting preceded by burning exposes workers and the people of neighbouring towns to high concentrations of pollutants.
This study was aimed to evaluate the respiratory symptoms, lung function and oxidative stress markers in sugarcane workers and the residents of Mendonça, an agricultural town in Brazil, during the non-harvesting and harvesting periods and to assess the population and individual exposures to fine particulate matter (PM2.5).
Sugarcane workers and healthy volunteers were evaluated with two respiratory symptom questionnaires, spirometry, urinary 1-hydroxypyrene levels, and the measurement of antioxidant enzymes and plasma malonaldehyde during the non-harvesting and harvesting periods. The environmental assessment was determined from PM2.5 concentration.
PM2.5 level increased from 8μg/m³ during the non-harvesting period to 23.5μg/m³ in the town and 61μg/m³ on the plantations during the harvesting period. Wheezing, coughing, sneezing, and breathlessness increased significantly in both groups during the harvesting period, but more markedly in workers. A decrease in lung function and antioxidant enzyme activity was observed in both populations during harvesting; this decrease was greater among the sugarcane workers. The urinary 1-hydroxypyrene levels only increased in the sugarcane workers during the harvesting period. The malonaldehyde levels were elevated in both groups, with a higher increase observed in the workers.
This research demonstrates the exposure of sugarcane workers and the inhabitants of a neighbouring town to high PM2.5 concentrations during the sugarcane harvest period. This exposure was higher among the sugarcane workers, as illustrated by both higher PM2.5 concentrations in the sugarcane fields and higher urinary 1-hydroxypyrene levels in the volunteers in this group. The higher incidence of respiratory symptoms, greater decrease in lung function and more marked elevation of oxidative stress markers among the sugarcane workers during the harvest confirms the greater effect magnitude in this population and a dose-dependent relationship between pollution and the observed effects.
► This study assesses PM2.5 exposure and its metabolic and respiratory impacts. ► PM2.5 increased in sugarcane fields and in the town during the harvesting period. ► Both studied groups exhibited elevated oxidative stress markers during the harvest. ► The lung function of both studied groups was reduced during the harvest. ► There is a need to discuss the process of non-mechanised burnt sugarcane harvesting.