Organophosphate Pesticide Residues in Urine of Farmworkers and Their Children in Fresno County, California
Author: Mills, Paul K., Ph.D.
Date Published: 2001
Childhood cancer, notably leukemia, brain cancer, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, soft tissue sarcoma, and Hodgkin's disease, has been associated with pesticide exposure, often with greater relative risks than among exposed adults, suggesting greater susceptibility in children. These differences in risk may be due to developmental factors or differences in pesticide exposure. A feasibility study was conducted to determine levels of pesticide metabolites in urine of adults in Fresno County, California, an intensely agricultural county in the Central San Joaquin Valley. Spot urine samples were obtained and analyzed for six metabolites of organophosphate pesticides using gas chromatography with flame photometric detection methods. Levels were generally low for both adults and children for most metabolites tested. Frequencies of detection ranged from 0 to 37%. With mean levels ranging from non-detectable to 13.22 ppb. However, levels of several metabolites were higher in children than in adults. The most frequently detected metabolite, DMP, was found among 44% of the children and 33% of the adults. DMTP was detected among 33% of the children and 28% of the adults. These results are difficult to interpret given the sampling variation associated with the small sample size. Nevertheless, because OP pesticides have been associated with increased cancer risk in animal and human studies, these results indicate a need to closely monitor children's exposure to environmental chemicals. You can purchase the article here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11675626
Date Published: 2001
Childhood cancer, notably leukemia, brain cancer, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, soft tissue sarcoma, and Hodgkin's disease, has been associated with pesticide exposure, often with greater relative risks than among exposed adults, suggesting greater susceptibility in children. These differences in risk may be due to developmental factors or differences in pesticide exposure. A feasibility study was conducted to determine levels of pesticide metabolites in urine of adults in Fresno County, California, an intensely agricultural county in the Central San Joaquin Valley. Spot urine samples were obtained and analyzed for six metabolites of organophosphate pesticides using gas chromatography with flame photometric detection methods. Levels were generally low for both adults and children for most metabolites tested. Frequencies of detection ranged from 0 to 37%. With mean levels ranging from non-detectable to 13.22 ppb. However, levels of several metabolites were higher in children than in adults. The most frequently detected metabolite, DMP, was found among 44% of the children and 33% of the adults. DMTP was detected among 33% of the children and 28% of the adults. These results are difficult to interpret given the sampling variation associated with the small sample size. Nevertheless, because OP pesticides have been associated with increased cancer risk in animal and human studies, these results indicate a need to closely monitor children's exposure to environmental chemicals. You can purchase the article here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11675626
not available for distribution
