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Pesticide applicators are unaware of the risks to which they are exposed because they do not have specialized equipment to avoid exposure to them, the regulation of pesticides includes shortcomings from environmental legislation, since currently banned agrochemicals are used in Europe and the United States. United since 2007. Objective. Establish as a pedagogical proposal the Instrumental Enrichment Program for pesticide applicators from a qualitative perspective. Material and methods. A systematic review was made on the internet, based on articles indexed in Crossref using keywords such as poisoning, and Instrumental Enrichment Program. Results. The IEP has significant positive effects on reasoning skills in socially and culturally disadvantaged children through brain plasticity. In type II diabetes education in the community of Tenango de Doria, Hidalgo, the study demonstrated a decrease in serum glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin, after the intervention and in 62 primary school children, a 4.8% reduction in obesity. In summary, of a total of 29 references reviewed, 15% belong to postgraduate thesis, national and international official pages, they deal with the definition of pesticide poisoning and its standardization, 85% of references are to reference articles related to pesticide poisoning and the Instrumental Enrichment program. Conclusions Based on the revised references, the Instrumental Enrichment Program represents an innovative opportunity to work with pesticide applicators with the vision to evoke learning to reduce or avoid exposure to them.
Keywords: pesticides; risks; pedagogy; suchaspoisoning; Hidalgo; thestudydemonstratedadecreaseinserumglucoseandglycosylated hemoglobin; aftertheinterventionandin62primaryschoolchildren; a4.8%reductioninobesity.Insummary; ofa totalof29referencesreviewed; 15%belongtopostgraduatethesis; nationalandinternationalofficialpages; theydeal
The massive use of pesticides occurred during the 1940softhe20thcentury,afteridentifyingthequalitiesforpestcontrolofferedbytheorganiccompound Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane(DDT).Beinganew toolanditsadverseeffectsonhealthandtheenvironmentbeingunknown,multiplenegligenceoccurred thatendedinintoxications,contaminationoftheenvironment,manifestedbythecontaminationofwater, air, soil, contamination of the food chain, by highly degradablesubstances,thatcausedmultiplediseases worldwide, in addition to the generation of biologicalresistancebyagriculturalpests[1][2].Nowadays, therearemultipleorganizationsfortheregulationof pesticideuse,suchastheWorldHealthOrganization (WHO)andtheFoodandAgricultureOrganizationof theUnitedNations(FAO).InMexico,theagenciesthat havethegreatestinfluenceontheregulationofpesticides are the Secretaría de Agricultura, Ganadería, DesarrolloRural,PescayAlimentación(SAGARPA),the Secretaría de Salud (SSA) and COFEPRIS, which authorizestheregistrationandissuanceoffreesalecertificatesfortheexportofpesticidesandplantnutrients,aswellasgrantingimportpermitsforpesticides, plantnutrientsandtoxicordangeroussubstances,afteranalysing,evaluatingandassessingthecorrespondingtechnical,toxicologicalandsafetyinformation[3] [4] [5]. This monitoring activity is difficult because multipleactivitiesareusedaspesticides,however,in thecatalogueissuedbyCOFEPRIS,ithasbeenagreed to classify pesticides by the criterion of persistence, from"slightlypersistent"to"permanent"(morethan 20 years ), going through "highly persistent" (more than a year). The list of highly persistent or permanentcompoundsincludestwelvecompounds.Italso classifiespesticidesaccordingtotheirleveloftoxicity, indicatingfivecategories, fromtheslightlytoxic (IV)totheextremelytoxic[6][7][8]. Indeed,whatis apesticide? TheFoodandAgricultureOrganization oftheUnitedNations(FAO)understandspesticidesas "anysubstanceormixtureofsubstancesintendedto prevent,destroyorcontrolanypest,includingvectors ofhumandiseasesoranimals,unwantedspeciesof plantsoranimalsthatcauseharmorthatinterferein anywayintheproduction,processing,storage,transportormarketingoffoodandagriculturalproduct.” [9]. Forlegalpurposeswewillunderstandpesticide accordingtotheFederalLawofPlantHealthasa"phytosanitaryresourceintendedtoprevent,repel,combat and destroy biological organisms harmful to plants, their products or by-products" and defines pest as "plantoranimallifeformorpathogenicagent,harmfulorpotentiallyharmfultoplants[10].Theliterature points out the following groups of pesticides as beingresponsibleforthemajorityofpesticidepoisonings:organochloride,organophosphates,carbamates, pyrethrins,pyrethroidsandanticoagulants[11].Within the group of carbamates, we find Carbofuran or Furadan,ahighlytoxicchemicalthatisusedinMetztitlán. Hidalgo,withoutadequateprotection. Prohibitedin EuropeandtheUnitedStates,thispesticide,likemany othersisoperatedinMexicounderthelegendof"use undercertainrestrictions"[12].
Establishasapedagogicalproposal,theInstrumental EnrichmentProgramforpesticideapplicatorsfroma qualitativeperspective.Organochloridepesticidesare currentlybannedinmuchoftheworldduetotheirtoxicityandbioaccumulation,withDDT,hexachlorobenzene,andpentachlorophenolasthemainagents.11 Giventheaforementionedtoxicityofthevariouschemicals handled as pesticides, it is not surprising that theworkenvironmentsconnectedtoagriculturehave thehighestincidenceofcasesduetopesticidepoisoning; theannualcasesofseriouspesticidepoisoning reach 3 million around the world; 25 million symptomaticpoisoningsbypesticidesintheworkplaceoccureachyearamongagriculturalworkersindevelopingcountries[13]. Inordertostudysuchacomplex situation, multiple variables must be taken into account,suchasthediversityofcommercializedproducts, therateofuse, themultiplicityandsimultaneityofsourcesofexposure,andthevariationinintensityanddurationofexposureovertime,amongothers. Usually, the symptoms of acute poisonings reportedbypesticideapplicatorsareofdermatological and cardiorespiratory type. According to the literature, we can find a frequency range of 20 to 50% of pesticideapplicatorswithirritativesymptoms,fatigue, headacheanddepression-relatedanxiety[11][12][14]. Thesymptomsoforganophosphatetoxicityaremanifestedasaresultoftheinhibitionoftheenzymeacetylcholinesterase,foundmainlyintheconductiontissues suchasmusclesandnerves,aswellassensoryandmotorfibers.Theactivityofcholinesteraseismeasurable in erythrocytes and plasma. In Australian pesticide applicators,significantstatisticaldecreasesintheactivityofacetylcholinesterasehavebeenobservedwith respect to a reference value and control group, in 3 differentmeasurements[15]. Ashasbeenreviewed, thechemicalsusedaspesticidestocontrolpestsin agricultural products are part of the base on which wesustainagriculturalactivitiesandtowhichsociety owesmuchofitsprogress;however,theyarehighly toxictohumanhealthandtheenvironment.Casesof acutepesticidepoisoningareamajorcauseofmorbidityandmortalityworldwideandthedevelopingcountriesareparticularlyvulnerable.Despitetheeffortsof differentagenciesinMexico,theregulationofthese productsisconsideredlowcomparedwiththeregulationinhighlydevelopedcountries. Alongsidethis problemisalowcompliancewiththerulesandinsufficient access to information systems [3] [14]. In an ethno-phenomenologicalstudy,conductedinMetztitlánHidalgo,itwasfoundthattheinterviewedagriculturalworkerssignaltheacutetoxicimpactthatpesticideshaveontheirhealth,however,theydonotknow thelongtermrisksinvolvedintheapplicationofthese chemicals,suchasdamagetothenervoussystem,reproductivediseases,damagetotheendocrinesystem andevencancerortumors. Thelimitedknowledge theyhaveaboutsecuritymeasures,theinaccessibility tothenecessarysecuritymeasurestoavoidexposure andtheneedtoworkareinfluencedbytheirsocioeconomicstatusandtheirhealtheducation[16][17]. Hence,itisnecessarytoimplementsocio-cultural,epidemiologicalandhealtheducationstrategiestotransformtheusesandcustomsoffarmerssothattheyuse thecompletesafetyequipmentandproperlydisposeof emptycontainersofagrochemicals,whichwillprevent damagetopersonalandfamilyhealth,aswellasreducetheenvironmentalimpact.Inastudyconducted intheregionofMoja,Colombia,itwasdeterminedthat thereisastatisticalrelationshipbetweenhealthimplicationsduetotheuseofpesticidesandthelevels ofstudyandtrainingreceived;55.5%ofpesticideapplicatorshadonlyprimaryeducation,96.5%perform handwashingaftertheapplicationofpesticides,49.5% eatattheirworkplaceand83%donotuseprotective elements when performing theirwork[18] [19] [20]. Similaritieswerefoundintheresearchcarriedoutin MixquiahualadeJuárez,Hidalgo,wheretheyindicate that"acultureunderliesthevaluegiventotheuseof protectionduringtheapplicationofpesticides,since theyconsiderthatthesuitsareuncomfortable;they believethatnotallproductsrequireprotection,forexampleproductsthathaveagreenlabelandcontaina ‘slightlytoxic’legend,arebelievedtobenontoxic,and therefore they do not use protective measures with them"[17][20][21].InaresearchinCórdova,Colombia,interviewswereconductedwith486fumigators. Thefindingsshowedthat"89.8%lackvalidknowledge aboutrisksproducedbythechemicalsanddonotuse protectionmeasures. 89%transportagrochemicals togetherwithotherfoodsupplies, 87%, discardthe containersattheedgesofplantations;14.4%routinely performsafehandlingpractices;13.1%indicatedthat theyreusepesticidecontainerstotransportliquidsfor consumption"[19].TheprogramdevelopedbyReuven FeuersteinisknownastheInstrumentalEnrichment Program(IEP),whichraisesthepossibilityofmodifyingthecognitivestructuresofhumansthroughbrain autoplasticity[22]. Theprogramseeksnotonlypartialchangesintheimprovementofcognitiveandbehaviouralskillsofindividuals,butratherapermanent changeinthelifestructureofthese.Withregardtopublichealthissues,thisprogramhasbeenusedspecificallyineducationintypeIIdiabetesinthecommunityofTenangodeDoria,Hidalgo.Quantitatively,the studydemonstratedthedecreaseinserumglucoseand glycosylatedhemoglobin,aftertheintervention.26In additiontothisproject,inanotherstudytheIEPwas appliedin62primaryschoolchildrenwhoshoweda 4.8%reductioninobesityafter4weeksofintervention [27].Duringaninterventionof15casestudiesofchildrenwithintellectualdisabilities,theIEPhassignificantpositiveeffectsonreasoningskills,butitsbenefits havealsobeencorroboratedinsociallyandculturally disadvantagedchildren[28][29][30].
Thepresentreviewwasconductedusingacomprehensiveandsystematicevaluationofpublishedscientific literaturerelatedtometagenomicanalysisofsoilmicrobialcommunitiesunderregenerativeandconventional agriculturalsystems.Relevantpeer-reviewedarticles were retrieved from electronic databases including PubMed,Scopus,WebofScience,andGoogleScholar usingkeywordssuchas“soilmetagenomics,”“regenerativeagriculturemicrobiome,”“conventionalfarmingsoilmicrobes,”“16SrRNAsequencing,”“shotgun metagenomics,”and“soilmicrobialdiversity”(17,18). Studiespublishedbetween2005and2025werepreferentiallyincludedtocapturerecentadvancementsin next-generationsequencingtechnologiesandmicrobialecology.Inclusioncriteriacomprisedstudiesinvestigatingsoilmicrobialdiversity,functionalgeneprofiling,microbialabundance,antimicrobialresistance genes, and ecological functions under regenerative andconventionalagriculturalpractices.Studiesbased solelyonculture-dependenttechniqueswereexcluded becauseoftheirinabilitytorepresentthetotalsoilmicrobialdiversity(19,20).
Asystematicreviewwasmadeintheinternet,based onarticlesindexinginCrossrefusingkeywordssuch aspesticides,poisoning,InstrumentalEnrichmentProgram.
TheprogramdevelopedbyReuvenFeuersteinisknown astheInstrumentalEnrichmentProgram(IEP),which raisesthepossibilityofmodifyingthecognitivestructuresofhumansthroughbrainautoplasticity[22].The programseeksnotonlypartialchangesintheimprovementofcognitiveandbehaviouralskillsofindividuals, butratherapermanentchangeinthelifestructureof these.Withregardtopublichealthissues,thisprogram hasbeenusedspecificallyineducationintypeIIdiabetesinthecommunityofTenangodeDoria,Hidalgo. Quantitatively,thestudydemonstratedthedecreasein serumglucoseandglycosylatedhemoglobin,afterthe intervention[26].Inadditiontothisproject,inanother studytheIEPwasappliedin62primaryschoolchildren whoshoweda4.8%reductioninobesityafter4weeks ofintervention[27].Duringaninterventionof15case studiesofchildrenwithintellectualdisabilities,theIEP hassignificantpositiveeffectsonreasoningskills,but itsbenefitshavealsobeencorroboratedinsociallyand culturallydisadvantagedchildren[28][29][30]. The summaryofatotalof29referencesreviewed15%belongstoagraduatethesis,nationalandinternational officialpages,verseonthedefinitionofpesticidepoisoninganditsstandardization,85%ofreferencesto referencearticlesrelatedtopoisoningpesticidesand theInstrumentalEnrichmentProgram.
Ashasbeendemonstratedinpreviousstudies,aninterventionisurgentlyneededtopreventpoisoningby pesticides with different approaches to control this publichealthproblem. Withintheliterature,wecan findinMexicoandotherpartsoftheworldthedevelopmentandresearchofbiofertilizers,forexample,based onplant-growth-promotingrhizobacteriawhichoffer anattractivewaytoreplacechemicalfertilizers,pesticidesandsupplements[20],evenbiodegradepesticidesthroughtheactionofthesemicroorganisms[21]. However,inmostoftheliterature,itisproposedtoaddresstheproblemfromahealtheducationapproach. Tryingtorehabilitatedeterioratedcognitivefunctions inchildrenandadolescents,ReuvenFeuersteindevelopedatheoryofcognitivestructureswhichwassuccessfullyusedafterWorldWarII[22][23].Thisacquires relevance given that there is evidence that chronic occupational exposure to organophosphorus pesticides(OP)issystematicallyassociatedwithdeficitsin neurologicalbehaviortests[23].Throughbiomarker analysis,itissuggestedthatoxidativestress,andnot cholinesteraseinhibition,inexposuretoorganophosphatessuchasCPFcontributestocognitivedeficits; subchronicexposurestoCPFaffectlearningandmemorythrougheffectsintheamygdalaandthehippocampus[24].
Apparently,theInstrumentalEnrichmentProgramhas notbeenimplementedtocausetranscendentallearninginpesticideapplicators,especiallytoavoidexposuretotoxic-poisonous,genotoxicandcarcinogenic substances such as the aforementioned pesticides. Basedontherevisedreferences, theIEPrepresents aninnovativeopportunitytoworkwithpesticideapplicatorswiththevisionofpromotinglearningtoreduce oravoidexposuretothesesubstances.
Toeachmemberofmyadvisorycommitteeforthedevelopmentofthiswork,aswellastothoseprofessors whoencouragethedevelopmentofthistypeofscientificwork.
Theauthorsdeclarethatthereisnoconflictofinterest regardingthepublicationofthisarticle.
Theauthorsdeclarethatnoartificialintelligencewas usedinanyofthesections.