Identifying pathways of pesticide exposure for children of agricultural workers


Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

3232.0: Monday, December 12, 2005 - Board 6

Abstract #116587

Rebecca A. Bixby, BA¹, Jenevie Dorsey, MSHEd¹, Rachelle Travers, BS², William Lambert, PhD³, Linda A. McCauley, PhD¹, and Juan Muniz, MS¹. (1) School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, 420 Guardian Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19104, 215-898-3151, rbixby2@nursing.upenn.edu, (2) Oregon Child Development Coalition, P.O. Box 9140 S.W. Pioneer Ct., Suite E, Wilsonville, OR 97070, (3) Center for Research on Occupational and Environmental Toxicology, Oregon Health & Science University, 3181 Sam Jackson Park Road, L606, Portland, OR 97239

Agricultural workers and their family members are disproportionately at risk for exposure to pesticides. However, pathways of pesticide exposure contributing to this risk have not been clearly delineated. Pesticide accumulation in the home is particularly of concern regarding children's health. Residues can be brought into the indoor environment on shoes, clothing, and toys, and may persist longer without the natural degradative processes found in the outdoor environment. This longitudinal study enrolled 12 migrant farmworker families in the northwestern United States with one or more young children between the ages of 2 and 6. These families were followed intensively over a 12 month period and repeated measures were collected on 24-hr activity recalls, pesticide residues on toys and hands and urine samples for organophosphate metabolite analysis. Organophosphate pesticide (OP) residue levels were measured by analyzing house dust as well as the individual hand swab and urine metabolite samples, and were then compared over time. Initial findings and data analysis suggest a positive relationship between the amounts of OP residues found on the hands of children, and metabolite concentrations in urine. These levels rose significantly from the summer to fall seasonal samplings, and decreased over the winter. Variations between families and among family members will be discussed. The findings from this study will help researchers to focus their investigations on further exploration of specific pathways of exposure for children, and to develop community interventions aimed at decreasing this risk.

Learning Objectives:

At the completion of this session the learner will

1.Identify components of exposure pathways.
2.Recognize pesticide exposure risk of migrant farmworkers and their children.
3.Articulate current research strategies to document exposure in this vulnerable population.

Keywords: Pesticide Exposure, Migrant Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Pathways Of Environmental Exposure

The 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition (December 10-14, 2005) of APHA