**Author details**

between the presence of pesticides residues in breast milk with age, number of children and occupation; this due to a this studied group did not have the necessary characteristics to de‐

The results found in this study indicate that the exposed group symptoms are due to pesti‐ cide exposure through agricultural activities, and residence on areas near the fields. Some serum biochemical and biometric indicators such as erythrocytes, VCM, RDW, and cholines‐ terase were affected by pesticide exposure. The most frequent detected pesticide found in semen on the case group was DDT; amongst the indicators affected on the exposed group were sperm mobility, viability and morphology. Although urine analysis did not show sig‐ nificant differences between groups, chlorpyrifos and malathion residues were higher in

The pesticide detected in highest concentration in breast milk was p,p'-DDE (9.0 µg/kg), and

There were significant differences between groups for some exposure indicators, mainly for erythrocyte count, mean corpuscular hemoglobin and RDW. Also, there was a significant as‐ sociation between exposure time (working or living near agricultural fields) and erythrocyte count. However, associations between pesticide residues in blood or urine with changes on

It is important to train field workers on how to protect themselves when handling or being exposed to pesticides, and also inform them about the possible health ill effects caused by

On the analytic part, it is recommended to use erythrocyte cholinesterase, because is a better

This study was carried out with financial support from "Fondos Mixtos-CONACyT- Sonora State Government (No. SON-2004-C01-004). The authors sincerely thank "Secretaria de Sal‐ ud (SS)" for letting conduct part of the analysis in laboratories of General Hospitals in Obre‐ gon city and Navojoa as well "Centro Avanzado de Atención Primaria a la Salud (CAAPS)" in Hermosillo, Sonora. The authors express recognition to the contribution of graduate stu‐ dents from University of Sonora (2010-2004): Enoc Hernández Montiel, Yessica Fabiola Gó‐ mez Hernández, Lidia Sarai Güitrón Ochoa, Ana Arely Villegas Castro, Mizar Ethzalé Martínez Romero, Graciela Lizeth Pérez González, Luis Jesús Villarreal Gómez and M. Sc.

termine the possible correlations.

324 Insecticides - Development of Safer and More Effective Technologies

urine from the exposed group.

**Acknowledgements**

Edna Delia Molina Romo.

the most frequent metabolite was p,p'-DDE.

inadequate and frequent exposure to pesticides.

the main pesticide exposure indicators were none significant.

and more specific indicator on chronic pesticide intoxications.

**4. Conclusions**

María-Lourdes Aldana-Madrid1\*, María-Isabel Silveira-Gramont1 , Fabiola-Gabriela Zuno-Floriano2 and Guillermo Rodríguez-Olibarría1

\*Address all correspondence to: laldana@guayacan.uson.mx

1 Departamento de Investigación y Posgrado en Alimentos, Universidad de Sonora. Hermo‐ sillo, Sonora, México

2 Department of Environmental Toxicology, University of California, Davis, California, USA
