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Title: Effects of Lifetime Occupational Pesticide Exposure on Postural Control Among Farmworkers and Non-Farmworkers.

Authors: Sunwook, Kim; Nussbaum, Maury A; Quandt, Sara A; Laurienti, Paul J; Arcury, Thomas A

Published In J Occup Environ Med, (2016 Feb)

Abstract: The aim of the study was to assess potential chronic effects of pesticide exposure on postural control, by examining postural balance of farmworkers and non-farmworkers diverse self-reported lifetime exposures.Balance was assessed during quiet upright stance under four experimental conditions (2 visual × 2 cognitive difficulty).Significant differences in baseline balance performance (eyes open without cognitive task) between occupational groups were apparent in postural sway complexity. When adding a cognitive task to the eyes open condition, the influence of lifetime exposure on complexity ratios appeared different between occupational groups. Removing visual information revealed a negative association of lifetime exposure with complexity ratios.Farmworkers and non-farmworkers may use different postural control strategies even when controlling for the level of lifetime pesticide exposure. Long-term exposure can affect somatosensory/vestibular sensory systems and the central processing of sensory information for postural control.

PubMed ID: 26849257 Exiting the NIEHS site

MeSH Terms: Adult; Aged; Case-Control Studies; Emigrants and Immigrants*; Farmers*; Female; Hispanic or Latino*; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; North Carolina; Occupational Exposure/adverse effects*; Occupational Exposure/analysis; Pesticides/toxicity*; Postural Balance/drug effects*; Transients and Migrants*

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