Observations placeholder
ffects of lifetime occupational pesticide exposure on postural control among farmworkers and non-farmworkers
Identifier
027720
Type of Spiritual Experience
None
Background
A description of the experience
J Occup Environ Med. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2017 Feb 1.
Published in final edited form as:
J Occup Environ Med. 2016 Feb; 58(2): 133–139.
doi: [10.1097/JOM.0000000000000655]
PMCID: PMC4746006
NIHMSID: NIHMS740110
PMID: 26849257
Effects of lifetime occupational pesticide exposure on postural control among farmworkers and non-farmworkers
Kim Sunwook, PhD, Maury A. Nussbaum, PhD, Sara A. Quandt, PhD, Paul J. Laurienti, MD, PhD, and Thomas A. Arcury, PhD
Objective
Assess potential chronic effects of pesticide exposure on postural control, by examining postural balance of farmworkers and non-farmworkers diverse self-reported lifetime exposures.
Methods
Balance was assessed during quiet upright stance under four experimental conditions (2 visual × 2 cognitive difficulty).
Results
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.
Conclusions
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.