Occupational exposure to pesticides: development of a job-exposure matrix for use in population-based studies (PESTIPOP)

J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2018 May;28(3):281-288. doi: 10.1038/jes.2017.26. Epub 2017 Oct 11.

Abstract

Occupational exposure to pesticides concerns a wide population of workers not only in agriculture. The reliability of self-reported information on pesticide use is questionable because of the diversity of use. The PESTIPOP job-exposure matrix has been designed to assess pesticide occupational exposure in the general population. The matrix is composed of two axes: the first axis corresponding to jobs (combinations of occupations and industries) and the second one to pesticide exposure. The estimated exposure metric is the probability of exposure coupled with a reliability assessment (low, medium or high). These metrics were defined by combining different sources: (1) an a priori expert assessment (Agricultural industry experts); (2) data from a multicenter case-control study on brain tumors in the general population (occupational history, specific questionnaires); and (3) an a posteriori expert assessment based on the data of a case-control study. So far, 2559 jobs have been identified and 209 (8%) were found to be exposed to pesticides. Jobs with agricultural exposure had a higher exposure probability than jobs with non-agricultural exposure (wood preservation, park maintenance, pest control). Indirect exposure was more frequent than direct exposure. The PESTIPOP matrix will be transcoded into international classifications for use in epidemiological studies.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Environmental Monitoring / methods*
  • Epidemiologic Methods
  • Female
  • France
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Occupational Exposure / analysis*
  • Occupations / classification
  • Pesticides / analysis*
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Risk Assessment / methods*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires

Substances

  • Pesticides