Abstract
A nine-home pilot study was conducted to evaluate monitoring methods in the field that may be used to assess the potential exposures of children aged 6 months to 5 years to pesticides found in the home environment. Several methods, some of which were newly developed in this study, were tested for measuring pesticide residues in indoor air, carpet dust, outdoor soil, and on the children's hands. Information was also collected on household characteristics, pesticides used and stored at the residence, and children's activities.
Pesticides were detected at all nine study homes. With the exception of one home, at least one pesticide was detected in all matrices sampled at each house. Of the 30 target pesticides, 23 were detected during the study. The most frequently detected pesticides were chlordane, chlorpyrifos, dieldrin, heptachlor, and pentachlorophenol. The greatest number of pesticides and highest concentrations were found in carpet dust. The results of these investigations will be discussed in terms of performance of the methods and the distribution of pesticides across the various media sampled.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Binder S, Sokal D, Maughan D (1986) Estimating the amount of soil ingested by young children through tracer elements. Arch Environ Health 41:341–345
Budd WT, Roberts JW, Ruby MG (1990) Field evaluation of a high volume surface sampler for pesticides in floor dust, EPA 600/3–90/030. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC
Calabrese EJ, Barnes R, Stanek EJ, Pastides H, Gilbert CE, Veneman P, Wang X, Lasztity A, Kostecki PO (1989) How much soil do young children ingest: An epidemiologic study. Reg Toxic Pharmacol 10:123–13
Clausing P, Brunekreff B, van Wijnen JH (1987) A method for estimating soil ingestion in children. Int Arch Occup Environ Med 59:73–82
Davis S, Waller P, Buschom R, Ballou J, White P (1990) Quantitative estimates of soil ingestion in normal children between the ages of 1 and 7 years: Population-based estimates using aluminum, silicon, and titanium as soil tracer elements. Arch Environ Health 45:112–122
Hawley JK (1985), Assessment of health risk from exposure to contaminated soil. Risk Anal 5:289–302
Hsu JP, Wheeler HG, Schattenberg HJ, Camann DE, Lewis RG, Bond AE (1988) Analytical methods for determining non-occupational exposures to pesticides. J Chromatogr Sci 26:181–189
Hsu JP, Camann DE, Schattenberg H, Wheeler B, Villolobos K, Kyle M, Quarderer S, Lewis RG (1990) New dermal exposure sampling technique. In: Proceedings of 1990 EPA/A&WMA International Symposium on Measurement of Toxic and Related Air Pollutants, VIP-17. Air & Waste Management Association, Pittsburgh, PA, pp 489–497
Levin H, Hahn J (1984) Pentachlorophenol in indoor air. In: Berglund B, Lindvall T, Sundell J (eds) Indoor air. Proceedings of the 3rd international conference on indoor air quality and climate. Swedish Council for Building Research, Stockholm, Vol 5, pp 123–128
Lewis RG, Bond AE, Johnson DE, Hsu JP (1988) Measurement of atmospheric concentrations of common household pesticides: A pilot study. Environ Monit Assess 10:59–73
Nigg HH, Beier RC, Carter O, Chaisson C, Franklin C, Lavy T, Lewis RG, Lombardo P, McCarthy JF, Maddy KT, Moses M, Norris D, Peck C, Skinner K, Tardiff RG (1990) Exposure to pesticides. In: Baker SR, Wilkinson CS (eds) The effect of pesticides on human health. Advances in Modern Environmental Toxicology, Vol. XVII, Princeton Scientific, NY, pp 35–130
Roberts JW, Budd WT, Ruby MG, Camann DE, Fortmann RC, Sheldon LS, Lewis RG (1991) Development and testing of a high volume small surface sampler (HVS3) for pesticides and toxics in house dust. In: Proceedings of 84th Annual Meeting of the Air and Waste Management Association, Vancouver, Canada, Paper No. 91–150.2. Air & Waste Management Association, Pittsburgh, PA
Robinson JP (1977) How Americans use time: A social psychological analysis of everyday behavior. Praeger Publishers, NY
Savage EP, Keefe TJ, Wheeler HW, Mounce LM, Helwic L, Applehaus F, Goes E, Goes T, Mihlan G, Rench J, Taylor DK (1981) Household pesticide usage in the United States. Arch Environ Health 36:304–309
Settergven SJ, Potter FJ, Kutz FW, and Cook BT, (1983) Pesticide and toxic substance residues in human urine from the second health and nutrition examination survey (NHANESII), 1976–1980, EPA 560/5–83/023. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC
Strassman SC, Hosenfeld JM, Freisem RM (1985) Pentachlorophenol exposure experienced by residents of log homes: A multi-media case study. Proceedings of 190th American Chemical Society National Meeting, Chicago, IL, Paper No. ENVIR 61
USEPA (1979) National household pesticide usage survey, 1976–1977, EPA 540/9–800–002. Office of Pesticides and Toxic Substances, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC
— (1990), Nonoccupational pesticide exposure study (NOPES), EPA 600/3–90/003. U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC. National Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA, PB 90–152 224/AS
van Wijnen JH, Clausing P, Brunekreef B (1990) Estimated soil ingestion by children. Environ Res 51:147–162
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This paper has been reviewed in accordance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's peer and administrative review policies and approved for presentation and publication. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lewis, R.G., Fortmann, R.C. & Camann, D.E. Evaluation of methods for monitoring the potential exposure of small children to pesticides in the residential environment. Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 26, 37–46 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00212792
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00212792