Abstract
The nutritional status of 30 Egyptian sprayers occupationally exposed to pesticides was assessed by a variety of blood chemistries and a number of other tests and measurements. The results showed that younger workers with a mean age of 14 years had poorer overall nutritional status with significantly lower (p<0.05) mean hemoglobin, plasma phospholipids, and retinol-binding protein concentrations compared with the corresponding mean values obtained for sprayers with a mean age of 33 years. Plasma retinol level correlated significantly (p<0.05) with age, body weight, plasma lipids, cholesterol, phospholipids, alanine amino transferase activity, and retinol-binding protein. Further, frequent exposure of the sprayers to pesticides led to a significant increase in the mean blood urea level, and to a decrease in the mean levels of plasma lipid and carotene.
