Characteristics of persons who self-reported a high pesticide exposure event in the Agricultural Health Study

Characteristics of persons who report high pesticide exposure events (HPEE) were studied in a large cohort of licensed pesticide applicators from Iowa and North Carolina who enrolled in the Agricultural Health Study between D ecember 1993 and December 1995. Fourteen percent reported having "an incide nt or experience while using any pesticide which caused an unusually high p ersonal exposure." After taking into account total number of applications m ade and education, females (OR= 0.76), applicators from NC (OR = 0.65), and privately licensed applicators (OR = 0.65) were less likely to have report ed an HPEE. Work practices more common among both private and commercial ap plicators with an HPEE included delay in changing clothing or washing after pesticide application, mixing pesticide application clothing with the fami ly wash, washing up inside the house after application, applying pesticides within 50 yards of their well,and storing pesticides in the home. Job char acteristics more common among those with an HPEE included self-repair of ap plication equipment and first pesticide use more than 10 years in the past. These job characteristics explained much of the difference in reported HPE E between males and females, but not between IA and NC subjects or between commercial or private applicators. (C) 1999 Academic Press.