Potential Sources of Childhood Exposure to Pesticides in an Agricultural Community

Abstract

Relatively little information is available regarding pesticide exposures among children living in agricultural settings. This study assessed the relationship between household distance from an agricultural field and pesticide levels in house dust and on children's hands. A methodology for estimating childhood exposure by sampling house dust and children's hand-rinse samples was also evaluated. Four rounds of sampling were conducted, with samples collected in each round from approximately 30 houses and 45 children between the ages of 5 months and 36 months. Samples were prepared for chemical analysis and analyzed for organochlorine (OC) and/or organophosphate (OP) pesticides using gas chromatography coupled with either an electron capture or a nitrogen/phosphorus detector. OCs were detected at much lower concentrations than OPs. Additionally, no relationship existed between household proximity to the field and the concentration of pesticides in the house dust or hand-rinse samples (all corresponding p-values were greater than .05). The data suggest that pesticides in house dust and on children's hands originate from a variety of sources, which may include indoor use of pesticides; pesticides used on lawns, gardens and domestic animals; and pesticide drift from agricultural fields.