Acute phase proteins and pesticide exposure

Gamma mobility C-reactive protein (CRP) level was determined in the sera of persons occupationally exposed to pesticides and controls in conjunction with serum protein analysis and other biochemical and enzymologic tests. Workers chronically exposed to dieldrin and pentachlorophenol showed significantly higher prevalence of CRP than the unexposed persons. In addition, the pentachlorophenol-exposed subjects revealed significantly elevated levels of total bilirubin and creatine phosphokinase, although the levels were within normal limits. The results suggest that chronic exposure to pentachlorophenol may have been responsible for the difference in the prevalence of CRP between the pentachlorophenol and control groups.