Multimedia measurements and activity patterns in an observational pilot study of nine young children

Abstract

A pilot observational exposure study was performed to evaluate methods for collecting multimedia measurements (air, dust, food, urine) and activity patterns to assess potential exposures of young children to pesticides in their homes. Nine children (mean age ¼ 5 years) and their caregivers participated in this study, performed in the Duval County, Florida, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Duval County Health Department. For all nine children, the total time reported for sleeping and napping ranged from 9.5 to 14 h per day, indoor quiet time from 0 to 5.5 h per day, indoor active time from 0.75 to 5.5 h per day, outdoor quiet time from 0 to 1.5 h per day, and outdoor active time from 0.5 to 6.5 h per day. Each home had one to three pesticide products present, with aerosols being most common. Pesticide inventories, however, were not useful for predicting pesticide levels in the home. Synthetic pyrethroids were the most frequently identified active ingredients in the products present in each home. Fifteen pesticide active ingredients were measured in the application area wipes (not detected (ND) to 580 ng/cm 2 ), 13 in the play area wipes (ND-117 ng/cm 2 ), and 14 in the indoor air samples (ND-378 ng/m 3 ) and the socks (ND-1000 ng/cm 2 ). Cis-permethrin, trans-permethrin, and cypermethrin were measured in all nine homes. Chlorpyrifos was measured in all nine homes even though it was not reported used by the participants. All urine samples contained measurable concentrations of 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA). The median 3-PBA urinary concentration for the nine children was 2.2 mg/l. A wide variety of pesticide active ingredients were measured in these nine homes at median concentrations that were often higher than reported previously in similar studies. These data highlight the need for additional observational studies in regions where pesticides are used in order to understand the factors that affect young children's exposures and the education/mitigation strategies that can be used to reduce children's exposures.

Indoor pesticide application practices and levels in homes of Bangkok Metropolitan Region

“…These findings can be used to warn occupants to avoid applying and storing the chemicals in the areas where they usually spend more time at home. This observation is similar to that found by Tulve et al (2008) for the US homes with an association among the number of rooms (in a home) treated with pesticides and the levels of total pyrethroids pesticides residue on the floor surface. Arcury et al (2005) documented that the residential pesticide use was associated with the high levels of organophosphate metabolites in urine samples from children and adults living in farms in Western North Carolina and Virginia homes.…”

Exposures of 129 Preschool Children to Organochlorines, Organophosphates, Pyrethroids, and Acid Herbicides at Their Homes and Daycares in North Carolina

“…In another study conducted in 2001 by Tulve et al . [32,33], they showed that permethrin was frequently detected (>50%) in several media at nine preschool children’s homes in Florida that reported frequently using products containing pesticides. The authors reported that both dermal (57%) and dietary ingestion (33%) likely contributed substantially to the children’s cumulative exposures (nmol/day; not intake dose ) to pyrethroids (which included permethrin), however, they state that the results are limited due to the small sample size of children [33].…”

Quantifying children's aggregate (dietary and residential) exposure and dose to permethrin: application and evaluation of EPA's probabilistic SHEDS-Multimedia model

“…Recent research efforts have collected critical data on potential exposures of young children (<6 years of age) in their homes and child care centers to the current-use pyrethroid pesticides. 30, 33, 34 Applying SHEDS to estimate urinary 3-PBA concentrations resulted in a mean and 95th percentile of 0.8 and 3  μ g/l; the estimated aggregate absorbed dose of permethrin accounted for ∼50% of the urinary 3-PBA (Figure 2). These modeled estimates compare well with measured results reported from an observational pilot study of 127 young children in Ohio.…”

“…Using Tulve et al 34 multimedia measurement data as inputs to SHEDS, we compared the measured and predicted urinary 3-PBA metabolite concentrations to further evaluate the ability of SHEDS to estimate urinary 3-PBA concentrations. 5 In general, the modeled urinary concentrations compared well with the measured concentrations from this study.…”

“…Permethrin, a synthetic pyrethroid insectide, was selected for this model application because of (1) potential health effects, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 and (2) its widespread use, according to national measurement surveys, exposure field studies, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) biomonitoring data, and use/usage data. 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35 It is the most commonly used pyrethroid pesticide and the first pyrethroid being reviewed under FQPA.…”