Exposición a plaguicidas, desnutrición crónica y daño genotóxico en menores de tres años. Luribay - Bolivia

Objective: to assess whether exposure to pesticides and chronic malnutrition are risk factors for genotoxic damage in children under three years of age, of the municipality of Luribay, Department of La Paz. November -2008. Methods: Case study and control. 155 boys and girls were studied from eight Luribay towns, La Paz – Bolivia out of 15 involved by the Communitarian Development Program (Save the Children). A survey was applied, validated, and adapted to the location in order to measure pesticide exposure, and the buccal cytome technique was applied to children for determining genotoxic damage. Results: 61% of the mothers dedicated themselves to agriculture, out of them a 33% had fumigated at least once being pregnant, and 85% did not use appropriate protective gear. 83% of the children have genotoxic damage, out of the 84% are exposed to pesticides. Non-malnourished children and exposed to pesticides with genotoxic damage reach 35%. No meaningful differences were found between the group of Non-malnourished children and exposed to pesticides with genotoxic damage and the chronic malnourished children and exposed to pesticides with genotoxic damage, (Nonmalnourished p=1,00) ( chronic malnourished p=0,70). Results concerning age difference in patients with and without genotoxic damage are meaningful (p=0.05). Keywords: pesticides, chronic malnutrition, buccal cytome, genotoxic damage.