Jj. Quackenboss et al., Design strategy for assessing multi-pathway exposure for children: the Minnesota Children's Pesticide Exposure Study (MNCPES), J EXP AN EN, 10(2), 2000, pp. 145-158
Citations number
20
Categorie Soggetti
Environment/Ecology
Journal title
JOURNAL OF EXPOSURE ANALYSIS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EPIDEMIOLOGY
Although children are exposed to a variety of environmental hazards, includ
ing pesticides, there is a scarcity of information available to estimate ex
posures realistically. This article reports on one of the first attempts to
measure multi-pathway pesticide exposures in a population-based sample of
urban and nonurban children. A design strategy was developed to assess mult
i-pathway pesticide exposures in children using personal exposure measureme
nts in combination with complimentary measurements of biological markers of
exposure, concentrations in relevant environmental media, and time spent i
n important microenvironments and participating in exposure-related activit
ies. Sample collection and analysis emphasized measurement of three insecti
cides (i.e., chlorpyrifos, diazinon, and malathion) and one herbicide (i.e.
, atrazine). These compounds were selected because of their frequent use, p
resence in multiple environmental media, expected population exposures, and
related hazard/toxicity. The study was conducted during the summer of 1997
in Minnesota and involved a stratified sample of households with children
ages 3 - 12 years. Participants resided in either (a) the cities of Minneap
olis and St Paul (urban households), or (b) Rice and Goodhue Counties just
south of the metropolitan area (non-urban households). Results from a resid
ential inventory documenting storage and use of products containing the tar
get pesticides were used to preferentially select households where children
were likely to have higher exposures. The study successfully obtained pest
icide exposure data for 102 children, including measurements of personal ex
posures (air, hand rinse, duplicate diet), environmental concentrations (re
sidential indoor/outdoor air, drinking water, residential surfaces, soil),
activity patterns (obtained by questionnaire, diary, videotaping), and inte
rnal dose (metabolites in urine).