DNA Damage in Pakistani Agricultural Workers Exposed to Mixture of Pesticides.

The article presents a cross-sectional study which determines whether occupational exposure to a complex mixture of pesticides is linked to the significant increase of DNA damage in farmers who are chronically exposed to pesticides in open fields. It utilized leucocytes from agriculture workers who were prone to pesticide exposure during the spraying season of cotton crop. It also gathered serum from the subjects for further analysis. It showed that there was a significant damage among exposed subjects wherein smokers have a higher risk. Furthermore, the chronic exposure to pesticides produced DNA damages among pesticide sprayers and suggested that certain monitoring should be done as preventive measures.