In-depth screening of pesticide exposure in children from urban and agricultural settings in Poland.

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The widespread occurrence of pesticides requires thorough evaluations of human population exposure to these chemicals, particularly children, because of the potential long-term effects of some of these neurotoxicants. The present study describes an in-depth screening of 15 pesticides including organophosphates, pyrethroids, carbamates, triazoles, neonicotinoids and their main metabolites. Internal exposure of 7-9-year-old children from urban and agricultural locations in Poland (n=399) has been studied. Urine samples were incubated with a beta-glucuronidase solution, then extracted using solid-phase extraction and analysed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. All compounds or their metabolites were above limits of detection in some individuals, evidencing the widespread occurrence of these pesticides regardless of chemical group and patterns of application. 3,5,6-Trichloro-2-pyridinol (metabolite of chlorpyrifos) was the compound found with the highest median concentration (2.0μg/g creatinine, detection frequency (DF) 96%), followed by 4-nitrophenol (metabolite of parathion; median 1.8μg/g creatinine, DF 94%) and 2-diethylamino-6-methylpirimidin-4-ol (metabolite of pirimiphos; median 0.91μg/g creatinine, DF 70%). Organophosphates were therefore the pesticide group most frequently identified and in higher concentration. The found concentrations involved hazard quotients higher than the risk threshold (>1) in 44 children. Concerning mixtures, 65 children had hazard indices >1. From a population point of view, these results show a high exposure to pesticides, specifically organophosphates, in comparison to other children from other locations. The relevance of organophosphate pesticides is unexpected considering the theoretical discontinuation of the use of most compounds of this chemical class as a consequence of EU regulations.