Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32098789›Full record

SynthesisOccupational and environmental medicine2020

Systematic review of methods used to assess exposure to pesticides in occupational epidemiology studies, 1993-2017.

Johan Ohlander, Samuel Fuhrimann, Ioannis Basinas, John W Cherrie, Karen S Galea, Andrew C Povey, Martie van Tongeren, Anne-Helen Harding, Kate Jones, Roel Vermeulen and 1 more

Open access · bronzeAbstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Occupational and environmental medicine, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
32citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
11.6field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

32 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 73 citations in OpenAlex.

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  8. Biomarkers of Pesticide Exposure in a Traditional Brazilian Amazon Community.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.

Johan OhlanderInstitute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0003-4279-2563
Samuel FuhrimannInstitute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-1861-1737
Ioannis BasinasInstitute of Occupational Medicine (IOM), Edinburgh, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0001-7708-3017
John W CherrieInstitute of Occupational Medicine (IOM), Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
Karen S GaleaInstitute of Occupational Medicine (IOM), Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
Andrew C PoveyCentre for Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
Martie van TongerenCentre for Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-1205-1898
Anne-Helen HardingHealth and Safety Executive, Harpur Hill, Buxton, UK.
Kate JonesHealth and Safety Executive, Harpur Hill, Buxton, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-8923-2999
Roel VermeulenInstitute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Hans KromhoutInstitute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands h.kromhout@uu.nl.
Utrecht University · NLHSE Science and Research Centre · GBInstitute of Occupational Medicine · GBManchester Academic Health Science Centre · GBHeriot-Watt University · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveNumerous exposure assessment methods (EAM) exist for investigating health effects of occupational exposure to pesticides. Direct (eg, biomonitoring) and indirect methods (eg, self-reported exposures) are however associated with degrees of exposure misclassification. We systematically reviewed EAM in studies of occupational pesticide exposure.

methodsWe searched for articles reporting observational epidemiological studies in MEDLINE and Embase published 1993 to 2017. The relative frequency of EAM was analysed according to EAM type (direct and indirect methods), health outcome, study design, study location (country) and specificity of assessment. Temporal trends in EAM were analysed.

resultsIn 1298 included articles 1521 EAM occurrences were documented. Indirect EAM (78.3%), primarily self-reported exposures (39.3%) and job titles assessments (9.5%), were mainly applied in case-control studies (95.0%), in high-income countries (85.0%) and in studies of doctor-diagnosed health outcomes (>85%). Direct EAM (20.8%), primarily biomonitoring of blood (15.6%) or urine (4.7%), were predominantly applied in cross-sectional studies (29.8%), in lower middle-income countries (40.9%) and in studies of neurological (50.0%) outcomes. Between 1993 to 2017 no distinct time trends regarding the ratio indirect to direct methods was seen. Within the category of indirect methods use of self-reported exposures and job exposure matrices increased while assessments by job titles and registers decreased. The use of algorithms showed no trend. The specificity of pesticide assessment increased since studies assessing exposure by using job title as a proxy declined. Assessments of type of pesticide increased.

conclusionOver the last 25 years, the ratio (5:1) of indirect to direct EAM applied in articles on occupational pesticide epidemiology stayed relatively constant; changes were mainly attributable to increasing use of self-reported exposures and job exposure matrices. This review, combined with studies assessing EAM validity, will inform on magnitudes of exposure misclassification and help improve the quality of studies on occupational pesticides exposure.

Indexed as

Epidemiologic MethodsAgricultureBiological MonitoringEnvironmental MonitoringHumansOccupational ExposurePesticidesPesticidesepidemiologyexposure assessmentpesticidessystematic review

Identifiers

PMID32098789
PMCPMC7279185
OpenAlexW2991015883

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.