oEPA
www.epa.gov
science in ACTION
BUILDING A SCIENTIFIC FOUNDATION FOR SOUND ENVIRONMENTAL DECISIONS
New Insights from EPA Describe Factors
Affecting Children's Exposures to
Pesticides
The Food Quality Protection Act and Safe
Drinking Water Act Amendments include
special provisions that require EPA to
assess all of the ways that children may
come into contact with pesticides in their
everyday environments. This requires a
thorough understanding of the factors that
affect children's exposures to chemicals in
the environment. The EPA Office of
Research and Development (ORD) has
conducted or supported several targeted
observational studies to address critical data
gaps in the Agency's understanding of the
factors affecting children's exposures.
Results from these studies are described in
a new report, Important Exposure Factors
for Children: an Analysis of Laboratory and
Observational Field Data Characterizing
Cumulative Exposure to Pesticides, which
will be available in April 2007.
This body of research
provides important
advancements in our
understanding of
factors that affect
children's exposures
to chemicals in their
environment.
The report integrates results from 13
different research studies that include pilot-
scale and large observational exposure
studies, as well as laboratory evaluations of
sampling and analysis methods used in
these studies. It includes real-world data
which are critical for improving exposure
assessments. The findings ensure that EPA
exposure scientists, modelers and risk
assessors have the most up-to-date
scientific information available for use in
developing more accurate risk assessments
and risk reduction measures.
Objectives
The overall EPA objective in conducting this
research is to identify factors that may
influence children's exposures to pesticides
and to provide scientific knowledge and data
to other researchers. The report:
• Describes the studies, the
measurements performed, and
summary statistics,
• Compares results across studies,
• Identifies trends and important
exposure factors, and
• Identifies areas where significant
progress has been made in reducing
uncertainties and areas where further
research is vital.
Results/Findings
• The authors present concentration
measurement data, summary
statistics, spatial and temporal
patterns, and comparative analyses
with discussion.
• The authors compare results across
studies and across compounds from
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development
continued on reverse
-------
different classes of pesticides to
identify trends and evaluate important
factors influencing exposures to
pesticides along each relevant route
of contact.
• The report examines relationships
among application patterns,
exposures, and biomarkers
Examples of information that can be found in
the report include the following:
• Pesticide products were found in
nearly 90 percent of the homes
studied. Usage appears higher in
warmer climates. Pesticide use
patterns were not clearly associated
with socio-demographic factors, nor
did responses to questions about
pesticide use correlate with
concentrations measured in the
homes.
• Relatively high levels measured in
food, compared to levels measured
on surfaces or in air, suggest that
dietary ingestion is often the dominant
route of children's exposure to
pesticides
• Levels measured in house dust
suggest that incidental ingestion is
also an important route of children's
exposure to pesticides. The
marketplace shift from
organophosphate pesticides to the
less-volatile pyrethroid pesticides
points toward an increased
importance of indirect ingestion as an
exposure pathway.
• Concentrations in indoor air are
strongly influenced by the pesticide's
chemical properties.
• Estimates of pesticide intake based
on environmental and dietary
measurements are often lower than
estimates based on measurements of
excreted biomarkers of exposure.
• Standardization of the collection
methods used to measure
concentrations on surfaces (a key
part of dermal exposure estimates)
remains a challenge.
As in any observational exposure research
study conducted by EPA, the protocols and
procedures to obtain children's assent and
parental consent were reviewed and
approved by independent institutional review
boards. These studies complied with all
applicable requirements of the Common
Rule regarding protections for children.
Citation: Important Exposure Factors for
Children: an Analysis of Laboratory and
Observational Field Data Characterizing
Cumulative Exposure to Pesticides,
Egeghy, P.P. and others, U.S. EPA,
Washington, D.C., EPA/600/R-07/013, 2007.
Media Contact
Melissa Anley-Mills, Press Officer
(202.564.5179)
Office of Research and Development
U.S. EPA, Washington, D.C.
Technical Contact
Roy Fortmann, Ph.D., Branch Chief
(919.541.1021)
Exposure Measurements and Analysis
Branch
National Exposure Research Laboratory
Office of Research and Development
U.S. EPA, Research Triangle Park, NC
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development
------- |