Children of Agricultural Families Exposed to Pesticides in
Household Dust
January 29, 1996
Children of agricultural families are at risk of exposure to
multiple pesticides in potentially hazardous concentrations,
according to a study recently published in Environmental
Health Perspectives, the journal of the National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences (U.S.). The study, designed to
compare pesticide risks to children of agricultural as
compared to non-agricultural families, shows that household
dust can accumulate significant concentrations of pesticides,
and that these concentrations are highest in the homes of
agricultural workers. Researchers analyzed yard soil and
household dust samples for four organophosphate insecticides
widely used in the study area.
Household dust in the homes of agricultural families was
found to have three to five times higher median
concentrations of azinphos-methyl, chlorpyrifos and phosmet,
and 13 times higher median concentrations of ethyl-parathion
than household dust in reference families' homes. The
household dust in 62% of agricultural families' homes
contained quantifiable levels of the four pesticides as
compared with nine per cent in reference family homes.
Azinphos-methyl (previously known as Guthion) was found in
100% of the dust samples from both agricultural and reference
households.
These insecticides present a range of potential health
hazards. Azinphos-methyl and parathion are classified by the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as Category I
toxins, the most deadly category of substances. Parathion is
one of PAN International's Dirty Dozen pesticides, and has
been linked with reproductive and endocrine disrupting
effects, according to Dr. Theo Colburn (Environmental Health
Perspectives, December 1995). Chlorpyrifos and phosmet are
classified by EPA as Category II toxins, EPA's second most
hazardous category of substances, and chlorpyrifos is one of
the most frequently reported causes of insecticide poisonings
in the U.S., according to the Northwest Coalition for
Alternatives to Pesticides (NCAP).
Data for the study was collected during the 1992 growing
season from 59 families living in the Wenatchee area of
eastern Washington, an agricultural region that produces
apples, pears and cherries. Families were categorized as
agricultural if at least one member worked in a farming
occupation. In non-agricultural families no one in the
household worked in the farm industry or with agricultural
pesticides and the household was more than one quarter mile
from a commercial farm. All participating families had at
least one child under six years of age.
Indoor dust samples were found to contain much higher
pesticide residue levels than outside soil samples. The
highest concentration found inside was more than 15 times
higher than the highest concentration found outside for
agricultural families, and more than 30 times higher for
reference families. The highest pesticide concentration found
in any single sample was 17 ppm (parts per million) of
phosmet in the household dust of an agricultural family. The
greatest total organophosphate concentration in dust of a
single household was 21.5 ppm, also in an agricultural
family's home (the study does not specify if it was the same
home with 17ppm of phosmet).
Household dust and yard soil are significant sources of
exposure to pesticide residues for small children and
toddlers because children spend much of their time on the
ground and are likely to ingest soil and dust by putting
objects in their mouths. The authors point out that previous
studies have shown household dust contains higher levels of
pesticide residues than are found in air, water or food, both
in terms of pesticide concentrations as well as number of
pesticides found. According to the Environmental Health
Perspectives study, pesticides can persist longer indoors
than out because they are protected from degrading processes
of sun, rain and microbial activity.
The study suggested a range of practices for reducing
children's pesticide exposure, including policy changes to
encourage pesticide use reduction, precautionary measures
such as use of protective gear, removal of gear and clothing
that may have been exposed to pesticides before entering the
home and frequently washing children's hands.
Sources:
Nancy Simcox et al., "Pesticides in Household Dust and Soil:
Exposure Pathways for Children of Agricultural Families,"
Environmental Health Perspectives, Volume 103, Number 12,
December 1995.
Theo Colburn et al., "Developmental Effects of Endocrine-
Disrupting Chemicals in Wildlife and Humans," Environmental
Health Perspectives, Volume 101, Number 5, October 1993.
Caroline Cox, "Chlorpyrifos, Part 1: Toxicology." Journal of
Pesticide Reform, Volume 14, Number 4, Winter 1994.
Contact: PANNA
===========================================================
| Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA) |
| |
| Phone:(415) 541-9140 Fax:(415) 541-9253 |
| Email: panna@panna.org http://www.panna.org/panna/|
| PANNA, 116 New Montgomery, #810, San Francisco, CA 94105 |
| |
|*To subscribe to PANUPS send email to MAJORDOMO@igc.apc.org|
| with the following text on one line: subscribe panups |
| To unsubscribe send the following: unsubscribe panups |
| |
|*For basic information about PANNA, send an email message |
| to panna-info@igc.apc.org |
===========================================================