Health risk assessment of dermal exposure to Chlorpyrifos among children in agricultural areas in Sakon Nakhon Province, Thailand

Abstract

Chlorpyrifos is a widely used agricultural insecticide. Chlorpyrifos exposure affects brain development and children’s overall health. The objective of this study was to assess the health risks from skin exposure to chlorpyrifos and to investigate the factors associated with chlorpyrifos exposure among children in agricultural areas. Residual chlorpyrifos samples were collected from the hands and feet of 130 children (aged 1–3) to analyze chlorpyrifos content using high-pressure liquid chromatography with a diode array detector. Chlorpyrifos residues were detected on the skin of 73.1% of the children tested. The health risk assessment of non-cancerous effects showed that children had dermal chlorpyrifos exposure at 1.46 × 10−5 mg/kg-day, and the hazard quotient (HQ) of child dermal chlorpyrifos exposure was 0.03, which is an acceptable level. The frequency of accompanying parents to pesticide-sprayed areas was significantly associated with dermal chlorpyrifos exposure levels in children (ORadjust =1.44, 95%CI =1.02–2.03). However, children in agricultural areas may be subject to additional health risks from exposure to other pesticides through respiration and ingestion. Therefore, they should not be allowed to accompany their parents to agricultural areas, and a program to prevent pesticides from affecting children in these areas should be developed.