Dietary Intake and Its Contribution to Longitudinal Organophosphorus Pesticide Exposure in Urban/Suburban Children

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Chensheng (Alex) Lu, Emory University; Dana Boyd Barr, Emory University; Melanie A. Pearson, Emory University; Lance Waller, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2008-04
• Publisher: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: This is an Open Access article: verbatim copying and redistribution of this article are permitted in all media for any purpose, provided this notice is preserved along with the article's original DOI.
• Final Published Version (URL): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2290988/
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Environmental Health Perspectives
• ISSN: 0091-6765
• Volume: 116
• Issue: 4
• Start Page: 537
• End Page: 542
• Grant/Funding Information: This study was supported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program (RD-829364).
• Keywords: longitudinal pesticide exposure; urinary biomonitoring; children; organic diet; chlorpyrifos; malathion; organophosphorus pesticides; dietary exposure
• Research Categories: Environmental Sciences; Health Sciences, Public Health; Health Sciences, General

Abstract

Background The widespread use of organophosphorus (OP) pesticides has led to frequent exposure in adults and children. Because such exposure may cause adverse health effects, particularly in children, the sources and patterns of exposure need to be studied further. Objectives We assessed young urban/suburban children’s longitudinal exposure to OP pesticides in the Children’s Pesticide Exposure Study (CPES) conducted in the greater Seattle, Washington, area, and used a novel study design that allowed us to determine the contribution of dietary intake to the overall OP pesticide exposure. Methods Twenty-three children 3–11 years of age who consumed only conventional diets were recruited for this 1-year study conducted in 2003–2004. Children switched to organic diets for 5 consecutive days in the summer and fall sampling seasons. We measured specific urinary metabolites for malathion, chlorpyrifos, and other OP pesticides in urine samples collected twice daily for a period of 7, 12, or 15 consecutive days during each of the four seasons. Results By substituting organic fresh fruits and vegetables for corresponding conventional food items, the median urinary metabolite concentrations were reduced to nondetected or close to non-detected levels for malathion and chlorpyrifos at the end of the 5-day organic diet intervention period in both summer and fall seasons. We also observed a seasonal effect on the OP urinary metabolite concentrations, and this seasonality corresponds to the consumption of fresh produce throughout the year. Conclusions The findings from this study demonstrate that dietary intake of OP pesticides represents the major source of exposure in young children.