Citation:

MORGAN, M. K., L. S. SHELDON, C. W. CROGHAN, P. A. JONES, J. C. CHUANG, AND N. K. WILSON. EXPOSURES OF 127 OHIO PRESCHOOL CHILDREN TO CIS- AND TRANS-PERMETHRIN IN THEIR EVERYDAY ENVIRONMENTS. Presented at International Society of Exposure Analysis Conference, Tucson, AZ, October 30 - November 03, 2005.

Impact/Purpose:

The overall objectives of CTEPP were to measure the aggregate exposures of approximately 260 preschool children and their adult caregivers to low levels of a suite of pesticides and organic pollutants that the children may encounter in their everyday environments, and to apportion the routes of exposure and estimate the relative contributions of each route.

Description:

This study investigated the aggregate exposures of 257 preschool children to chemicals commonly found in their everyday environments. Participants were recruited randomly from selected homes and daycare centers in six North Carolina and six Ohio counties. Monitoring was performed over a 48-h period at the children's homes and/or daycare centers. Samples that were collected consisted of soil, dust, air, diet, dermal wipes, surface wipes, and urine. Environmental samples were analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) for over 50 chemicals including the pyrethroid insecticide isomers, cis- and trans-permethrin. Urine samples were analyzed by GC/MS for several biomarkers of exposure including the non-specific urinary biomarker of exposure to the pyrethroids, 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA). We report the preliminary results for the exposures of 127 Ohio preschool children to cis- and trans-permethrin at their homes and daycare centers. The isomers were detected in nine different media and were found most often in dust (100%) and hand wipe (> 78%) samples at both locations. The metabolite, 3-PBA, was detected in 59% of the children's urine samples. The median urinary 3-PBA concentration for these children was 0.3 ng/mL, and the maximum concentration was 33.8 ng/mL. Through inhalation, ingestion, and dermal routes of exposure, the median aggregate potential absorbed doses of cis- and trans-permethrin for these children were estimated at 2.1 and 1.7 ng/kg/day, respectively. The dominant route of exposure for both isomers was through dietary ingestion, followed by indirect ingestion. The median excreted amount of 3-PBA in the children's urine was estimated at 6.2 ng/kg/day. The results showed that these children were potentially exposed to both cis- and trans-permethrin from several sources, and through several pathways and routes. The urinary biomarker of exposure, 3-PBA, confirms that these children were exposed to and absorbed one or more of the pyrethroids, likely including permethrin, into their bodies.

Although this work was reviewed by EPA and approved for publication, it may not necessarily reflect official Agency policy.

Record Details: