Determinants of pesticide concentrations in silicone wristbands worn by Latina adolescent girls in a California farmworker community: The COSECHA youth participatory action study

Abstract

Personal exposure to pesticides has not been well characterized, especially among adolescents. We used silicone wristbands to assess pesticide exposure in 14 to 16 year old Latina girls (N = 97) living in the agricultural Salinas Valley, California, USA and enrolled in the COSECHA (CHAMACOS of Salinas Examining Chemicals in Homes and Agriculture) Study, a youth participatory action study in an agricultural region of California. We determined pesticide concentrations (ng/g/day) in silicone wristbands worn for one week using gas chromatography electron capture detection and employed gas chromatography mass spectrometry to determine the presence or absence of over 1500 chemicals. Predictors of pesticide detections and concentrations were identified using logistic regression, Wilcoxon rank sum tests, and Tobit regression models. The most frequently detected pesticides in wristbands were fipronil sulfide (87%), cypermethrin (56%), dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) (56%), dacthal (53%), and trans-permethrin (52%). Living within 100 m of active agricultural fields, having carpeting in the home, and having an exterminator treat the home in the past six months were associated with higher odds of detecting certain pesticides. Permethrin concentrations were lower for participants who cleaned their homes daily (GM: 1.9 vs. 6.8 ng/g/day, p= 0.01). In multivariable regression models, participants with doormats in the entryway of their home had lower concentrations (p<0.05) of cypermethrin (87%), permethrin (99%), fipronil sulfide (69%) and DDE (75%). The results suggest that both nearby agricultural pesticide use and individual behaviors are associated with pesticide exposures.

Pesticide exposure among Latinx child farmworkers in North Carolina

“…Longitudinal analyses of Latinx women and children in a California agricultural community documents that young children are exposed to high levels of OP insecticides based on levels of DAP pesticide urinary metabolites 19–22 . Adolescent girls in these same California agricultural communities are also exposed to a plethora of PYR, OC, and OP insecticides, as well as several fungicides and herbicides 23 . Research conducted in Washington using environmental and biomonitoring data reports that young children in farmworker families are widely exposed to OP insecticides 24,25 .…”

“…Pesticide exposure is one agricultural hazard experienced by child Latinx farmworkers that has received very little attention. Harley et al 23 examine pesticide exposure among Latina adolescents living in a California agricultural community, and Arcury et al 26 document pesticide exposure among Latino children living in rural North Carolina farmworker communities. The children in these two studies were not hired farmworkers, but both studies report that children living in agricultural communities experience substantial pesticide exposure.…”

A Case Study Describing a Community-Engaged Approach for Evaluating Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Exposure in a Native American Community

“…One of the CEC’s primary goals is to reduce environmental disparities experienced by Pacific Northwest Tribes by developing collaborative community-engaged research between Oregon State University Superfund Research Program scientists and Tribes. The SITC invited the CEC to collaborate on air toxic monitoring projects that included using silicone passive sampling wristbands to measure personal chemical exposures [7,8,9]. This exposure assessment method is non-invasive, simple to use, and provides individual time-averaged exposure data [10,11,12,13].…”

The Fresh Air Wristband: A Wearable Air Pollutant Sampler

“…The feasibility of detecting an individual's environmental and occupational pollutant exposures using these silicone wristbands has been reported for various locations (U.S. 19,38,39 , Chile 40 , Peru 41 , Senegal 42 ) for multi-hour to multiweek exposure assessment periods 43 . These wristbands have also been deployed with preschool children to assess exposure concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and organophosphate flame retardants 44 and adults to evaluate exposure to pesticide residues 45,46 . Measured diphenyl ethers and organophosphate flame retardants and pesticides have been reported to be correlated with their respective biomarkers in serum 47 , urine 48 or hair 49 .…”