High levels of organochlorine pesticides in drinking water as a risk factor for type 2 diabetes: A study in north India

Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are well known synthetic pesticides widely used in agricultural practices and public health program. Higher toxicity, slow degradation, and bioaccumulation are the significant challenges of OCPs. Due to its uses in agricultural and public health, contamination of drinking water and water table also increases day by day. Contaminated drinking water has become a significant issue and alarming signal for public health globally. The purpose of this study was to assess the recent trend of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) level in drinking water and blood samples of the North Indian population and also to find out its association with glucose intolerance, lipid metabolism, and insulin resistance, which are known risk factors of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). A case-control study was conducted on 130 Non-Glucose intolerance (NGT), 130 pre-diabetes and 130 recently diagnosed T2DM subjects of the age group of 30-70 years. Patients consuming drinking water from the same source for at least ten years were included in this study for blood and water samples collection. Significantly higher levels of alpha-HCH, beta-HCH, gamma-HCH, p,p'-DDE, and o,p'-DDT were found in groundwater samples. However, in tap water samples, the level of alpha-HCH was found to be slightly higher than the permissible limit of 0.001. Among all recruited subjects consuming contaminated groundwater, 42% had T2DM, 38% pre-diabetes, and the remaining 20% were found normal. We also observed that OCP contamination in groundwater is higher than tap and filter water. The levels of beta-HCH, p,p'-DDE, and o,p'-DDT were higher in the prediabetes and T2DM group than the NGT group. With an increase of OCPs level in groundwater, the blood OCPs level tends to increase T2DM risk. It depicts that the elevated OCPs level in consumed groundwater may contribute to increased risk for the development of T2DM after a certain period of exposure. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are synthetic pesticides widely used in agriculture and public health, posing challenges due to their high toxicity, slow degradation, and bioaccumulation. This study in North India found higher OCP levels in groundwater than tap water, with a positive association between OCP levels and risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) after long-term exposure to contaminated groundwater. The findings highlight the importance of monitoring OCP contamination in drinking water to mitigate health risks, particularly related to diabetes.