Decreased Pseudocholinesterase Following Exposure to Organophosphorus Pesticide in a Rural Area Populations of Brașov County

Abstract

Pseudocholinesterase activity has a long history of use in monitoring both workers at risk of organophosphorus pesticide (OP) exposure and in investigating exposures to OPs. Nevertheless, the knowledge about the effect of pesticide exposure on baseline enzyme activity function is still limited. The current study evaluates the exposure to the OP on 100 individuals from a rural area of Brasov county, divided into two groups: study or exposed group (n=75) and control or non-exposed group (n=25). Serum enzymatic activity level was used as a marker to monitor the extent of OP exposure. Our results showed a significant decrease in pseudocholinesterases in the exposed group compared with the non-exposed group (p=0.0002).