Conclusion

Silica and certain pesticides were significantly elevated in the urine of sugarcane workers with or without KFD. Future work should determine whether long-term occupational exposure to silica and pesticides across multiple seasons contributes to CKD in these workers.

Overall, these results confirmed that multiple exposures are occurring in sugarcane workers and may provide insight into early warning signs of kidney injury and may help explain the increased incidence of CKD among agricultural workers.