Residential Pesticide Exposure Research Articles

Pesticide Exposure and Self-Reported Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in the Agricultural Health Study

To examine the association between pesticide use during pregnancy and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) among wives of licensed pesticide applicators. Using data from the Agricultural Health Study (AHS), we estimated the association between self-reported pesticide-related activities during the first trimester of the most recent pregnancy and GDM among 11,273 women whose pregnancy occurred within 25 years of enrollment. A total of 506 (4.5%) women reported having had GDM. Women who reported agricultural pesticide exposure (mixing or applying pesticides to crops or repairing pesticide application equipment) during pregnancy were more likely to report GDM (odds ratio [OR] 2.2 [95% CI 1.5-3.3]). We saw no association between residential pesticide exposure (applying pesticides in the home and garden during pregnancy) and GDM (1.0 [0.8-1.3]). Among women who reported agricultural exposure during pregnancy, risk of GDM was associated with ever-use of four herbicides (2,4,5-T; 2,4,5-TP; atrazine; or butylate) and three insecticides (diazinon, phorate, or carbofuran). These findings suggest that activities involving exposure to agricultural pesticides during the first trimester of pregnancy may increase the risk of GDM.

Inferring Past Pesticide Exposures: A Matrix of Individual Active Ingredients in Home and Garden Pesticides Used in Past Decades

BackgroundIn retrospective studies of the health effects of home and garden pesticides, self-reported information typically forms the basis for exposure assessment. Study participants generally find it easier to remember the types of pests treated than the specific pesticides used. However, if the goal of the study is to assess disease risk from specific chemicals, the investigator must be able to link the pest type treated with specific chemicals or products.ObjectivesOur goal was to develop a “pesticide–exposure matrix” that would list active ingredients on the market for treating different types of pests in past years, and provide an estimate of the probability that each active ingredient was used.MethodsWe used several different methods for deriving the active ingredient lists and estimating the probabilities. These methods are described in this article, along with a sample calculation and data sources for each.ResultsThe pesticide–exposure matrix lists active ingredients and their probabilities of use for 96 distinct scenarios defined by year (1976, 1980, 1990, 2000), applicator type (consumer, professional), and pest type (12 categories). Calculations and data sources for all 96 scenarios are provided online.ConclusionsAlthough we are confident that the active ingredient lists are reasonably accurate for most scenarios, we acknowledge possible sources of error in the probability estimates. Despite these limitations, the pesticide–exposure matrix should provide valuable information to researchers interested in the chronic health effects of residential pesticide exposure.

Household Pesticides and the Risk of Wilms Tumor

BackgroundPrevious epidemiologic studies have suggested that exposure to pesticides in utero and during early childhood may increase the risk for development of childhood cancer, including Wilms tumor, a childhood kidney tumor.ObjectivesIn this analysis we evaluated the role of residential pesticide exposure in relation to the risk of Wilms tumor in children using data from a North American case–control study.MethodsThe National Wilms Tumor Study Group (NWTSG) collected information on exposure to residential pesticides from the month before pregnancy through the diagnosis reference date using detailed phone interviews from 523 case mothers and 517 controls frequency matched on child’s age and geographic region and identified by list-assisted random digit dialing. Pesticides were grouped according to type of pesticide and where they were used.ResultsA slightly increased risk of Wilms tumor was found among children of mothers who reported insecticide use [odds ratio (OR) = 1.4, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.0–1.8; adjusted for education, income, and the matching variables]. Results from all other categories of pesticides were generally close to the null.ConclusionsThis study is the largest case–control study of Wilms tumor to date. We were unable to confirm earlier reports of an increased risk for Wilms tumor among those exposed to residential pesticides during pregnancy through early childhood.

Pesticide exposure of non-occupationally exposed subjects compared to some occupational exposure: A French pilot study

Data about non-dietary exposure to different chemical classes of pesticides are scarce, especially in France. Our objective was to assess residential pesticide exposure of non-occupationally exposed adults, and to compare it with occupational exposure of subjects working indoors. Twenty unexposed persons, five gardeners, seven florists and nine veterinary workers living in Paris area were recruited. Nineteen residences, two greenhouses, three florist shops and three veterinary departments were then sampled. Thirty-eight insecticides, herbicides and fungicides were measured in indoor air with an air sampler for 24 h, and on hands by wiping them with isopropanol-wetted swabs. After extraction, samples were analysed by gas and high-performance liquid chromatography. Seventeen different pesticides were detected at least once in indoor air and twenty-one on the hands. An average of 4.2 ± 1.7 different pesticides was detected per indoor air sample. The organochlorines lindane, α-endosulfan and α-HCH were the most frequently detected compounds, in 97%, 69% and 38% of the samples, respectively. The organophosphates dichlorvos and fenthion, the carbamate propoxur and the herbicides atrazine and alachlor were detected in more than 20% of the air samples. Indoor air concentrations were often low, but could reach 200–300 ng/m 3 in residences for atrazine and propoxur. Propoxur levels significantly differed between the air of veterinary places and other places (Kruskal–Wallis test, p < 0.05) and dieldrin levels between residences and workplaces ( p < 0.05). There was a greater number of pesticides on hands than in air, with an average of 6.3 ± 3.3 different pesticides detected per sample, the most frequently detected being malathion, lindane and trifluralin, in more than 60% of the subjects. Maximal levels (up to 1000–3000 ng/hands) were observed either in the general population or in workers, depending on the pesticide. However, no significant difference was observed between workers and general population handwipe pesticide levels. As expected, gardeners were exposed to pesticides sprayed in greenhouses. Florists and veterinary workers, whose pesticide exposure had not been described until now, were also indirectly exposed to pesticides used for former pest control operations. Overall, general population was exposed to more various pesticides and at levels sometimes higher than in occupational places. The most frequent pesticides in residences were not the same as in US studies but levels were similar. These preliminary results need to be confirmed in a greater number of residences from different parts of the country, in order to better assess pesticide exposure of the general population and its influencing factors.

Agricultural and residential pesticides in wipe samples from farmworker family residences in North Carolina and Virginia.

Children of farmworkers can be exposed to pesticides through multiple pathways, including agricultural take-home and drift as well as residential applications. Because farmworker families often live in poor-quality housing, the exposure from residential pesticide use may be substantial. We measured eight locally reported agricultural pesticides and 13 pesticides commonly found in U.S. houses in residences of 41 farmworker families with at least one child < 7 years of age in western North Carolina and Virginia. Wipe samples were taken from floor surfaces, toys, and children's hands. We also collected interview data on possible predictors of pesticide presence, including characteristics of the household residents, cleaning practices, and characteristics of the home. All families were Spanish-speaking, primarily from Mexico. Results indicate that six agricultural and 11 residential pesticides were found in the homes, with agricultural, residential, or both present in 95% of homes sampled. In general, residential pesticides were more commonly found. Presence of both types of pesticides on the floor was positively associated with detection on toys or hands. Agricultural pesticide detection was associated with housing adjacent to agricultural fields. Residential pesticide detection was associated with houses judged difficult to clean. Although the likelihood of agricultural pesticide exposure has been considered high for farmworker families, these results indicate that residential pesticide use and exposure in this population merit further study.

Interpreting Epidemiologic Research: Lessons From Studies of Childhood Cancer

In recent years, the public has shown concern about trends in incidence rates, the occurrence of clusters, and the role of certain environmental exposures in the cause of childhood cancers. A front-page news story in the New York Times 1 stimulated a dramatic upswing of public anxiety about these issues. Hearings by the US Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on a cluster of 11 childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cases (since increased to 13) among the 8200 residents of a town in Nevada over a 3-year period led to a featured article in USA Today 2 describing legislation under consideration to enhance the federal government’s role in responding to apparent cancer outbreaks in US communities. Compared with 1.22 million cancers (excluding non-melanoma skin cancers) diagnosed annually among adults in the United States (corresponding to an average annual incidence rate for all cancers of 398 per 100 000 person-years),3 there are only ∼8700 diagnosed per year among children younger than 15 years and 12 400 among children and adolescents younger than 20 years (corresponding to average annual incidence rates of 13.4 per 100 000 and 14.9 per 100 000 person-years, respectively).4 Carcinomas predominate among adults, and the major pediatric tumors are nonepithelial. The most common pediatric neoplasms are the leukemias (representing 30.2% of all cancers diagnosed in children younger than 15 years), brain and central nervous system cancers (21.7%), and lymphomas (10.9%); these 3 categories (together constituting 63%) and the remaining 37% of pediatric malignancies are characterized by substantial histologic and biological diversity.5–7 Instead of the anatomic site-based categories used for adult malignancies, a more appropriate classification system developed for pediatric neoplasms8 was recently updated and designated as the International Classification of Childhood Cancer.9 This article includes 3 components. The first section focuses …

New challenges: residential pesticide exposure assessment in the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, USA

Residential exposure assessment is in an early stage of development within many of the regulatory agencies responsible for pesticides. Some of the impetus for residential assessment comes from the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA), a federal law adopted in 1996 in the USA. The FQPA mandates that the aggregate and cumulative risks from all nonoccupational sources of exposure to similarly acting pesticides be assessed. The development of methods for residential exposure assessment is therefore proceeding in tandem with methods for aggregate risk assessment. The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (Cal DPR) regulates pesticides in the state of California much as the US EPA does at the national level. While Cal DPR is not explicitly bound by the federal law, it recognizes the importance of residential exposure and of cumulative risk, and tries to harmonize its methods with those of US EPA. Accordingly, Cal DPR is developing guidance for residential exposure assessment. Some factors to consider are the following: (1) although the end goal may be total exposure from all sources, in order to regulate the use of products it is necessary to have separate estimates of exposure from individual sources and routes; (2) probabilistic approaches will be used increasingly, and they must separate variability and uncertainty; (3) there is a critical need for data on residential use of pesticides, including the frequency of mishaps and improper handling; (4) data are needed on long-term activity patterns of individuals, including residential and occupational history; (5) regulatory agencies need a way to identify and screen potential exposure scenarios, in order to streamline the risk assessment process.

Residential pesticide exposure and neuroblastoma.

Neuroblastoma is the most common neoplasm in children under 1 year of age. We examined the relation between residential exposure to pesticides and neuroblastoma, using data from a case-control study of risk factors for neuroblastoma. Incident cases of neuroblastoma (N = 538) were identified through the Pediatric Oncology Group and the Children's Cancer Group. One age-matched control was identified for each case by random digit dialing. Telephone interviews with each parent collected information on residential exposure to pesticides. Pesticide use in both the home and garden were modestly associated with neuroblastoma [odds ratio (OR) = 1.6 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 1.0-2.3, and OR = 1.7 (95% CI = 0.9-2.1), respectively]. Compared with infants [OR = 1.0 (95% CI = 0.6-2.0)], stronger associations were found for garden pesticides in children diagnosed after 1 year of age [OR = 2.2 (95% CI = 1.3-3.6)], which suggests that pesticides may act through a mechanism more common for neuroblastomas in older children. There was no evidence of differential pesticide effects in subgroups of neuroblastoma defined by MYCN oncogene amplification or tumor stage.

New challenges: residential pesticide exposure assessment in the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, USA

New challenges: residential pesticide exposure assessment in the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, USA

Acute hazards to young children from residential pesticide exposures.

This study assessed acute hazards to young children from pesticides toxic enough to require child-resistant packaging. The names of pesticides meeting acute toxicity criteria were ascertained from the Environmental Protection Agency. Poison Control Center reports identified children younger than 6 years who were exposed to these pesticides. Toxicity category, medical outcome, sex, and age were examined. A higher proportion of children with exposure to the more toxic products had serious medical outcomes. Children 2 years and younger were the predominant age group exposed. Protective measures--substituting less lethal pesticides, reducing the concentration of the active ingredients, and improving packaging and storage--are recommended.

Response

CorrespondenceOpen AccessResponseis a reply to letterAlachlor not estrogenic. Theo Colborn, Fred vom Saal, and Ana Soto Theo Colborn Search for more papers by this author , Fred vom Saal Search for more papers by this author , and Ana Soto Search for more papers by this author Published:1 March 1994https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.94102257Cited by:2AboutSectionsPDF ToolsDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InReddit "Response." Environmental Health Perspectives, 102(3), p. 257FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsCited by Daniels J, Olshan A, Teschke K, Hertz-Picciotto I, Savitz D, Blatt J, Bondy M, Neglia J, Pollock B, Cohn S, Look A, Seeger R and Castleberry R (2001) Residential Pesticide Exposure and Neuroblastoma, Epidemiology, 10.1097/00001648-200101000-00005, 12:1, (20-27), Online publication date: 1-Jan-2001. K�chenhoff A, Eckard R, Buff K and Fischer B (1999) Stage-specific effects of defined mixtures of polychlorinated biphenyls on in vitro development of rabbit preimplantation embryos, Molecular Reproduction and Development, 10.1002/(SICI)1098-2795(199910)54:2<126::AID-MRD4>3.0.CO;2-B, 54:2, (126-134), Online publication date: 1-Oct-1999. Related articlesAlachlor not estrogenic.1 March 1994Environmental Health Perspectives Vol. 102, No. 3 March 1994Metrics About Article Metrics Publication History Originally published1 March 1994Published in print1 March 1994 Financial disclosuresPDF download License information EHP is an open-access journal published with support from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health. All content is public domain unless otherwise noted. Note to readers with disabilities EHP strives to ensure that all journal content is accessible to all readers. However, some figures and Supplemental Material published in EHP articles may not conform to 508 standards due to the complexity of the information being presented. If you need assistance accessing journal content, please contact [email protected]. Our staff will work with you to assess and meet your accessibility needs within 3 working days.