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MEASURING DIETARY EXPOSURE OF YOUNG CHILDREN
Citation:
Berry Jr., M R., L J. Melnyk, C. Rohrer, G G. Akland, C. A. Clayton, Y. Hu, E. D. Aragon, J. M. Roberds, AND E. D. Pellizzari. MEASURING DIETARY EXPOSURE OF YOUNG CHILDREN. Presented at American Chemical Society Meeting, New Orleans, LA, August 22-26, 1999.
Impact/Purpose:
The purpose of this research is to reduce uncertainties in exposure assessments of young children by improving EPA's ability to measure exposures in the context of aggregate and cumulative exposure assessments. The general objective of this research is to support FQPA children's exposure assessment efforts by improving procedures and reducing uncertainty in measurements for dietary exposure of young children, a critically needed area for improved risk assessment. Specifically, this research will evaluate a protocol and companion model for measuring or otherwise assessing the combined dietary intake of a young child as influenced by pesticides, or other environmental contaminants, which contaminate their foods during the eating process (indirect ingestion exposure). This research will continue to develop the important factors which are needed to characterize excess intake of pesticides by young children. Specifically, the research will measure pesticide surface transfer efficiencies for food contacts with surfaces and eating activity patterns of young children that define the frequency of contacts with contaminated surfaces. A series of reports/products are anticipated by the end of FY05.
Description:
Young children do not consume foods in a structured manner. Their foods contact surfaces (hands, floors, eating surfaces, etc.) that may be contaminated while they are eating them. Thus, dietary exposures of young children are difficult to accurately assess or measure. A recent study on dietary exposure of children to lead has begun to explore potential pathways of dietary contamination, and ways to measure them, and has shown intakes may potentially increase by a factor of four when foods are handled by the child in a contaminated environment. Similar excess exposures of children to pesticides may also be possible in residential and daycare environments, and improved assessment and measurement techniques are needed to support the aggregate exposure assessments required by the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996. The purpose of this research is to develop procedures to measure the daily, dietary intake of a 1-3 year old child. Since this age group has a tendency to excessively handle their foods, fingering items on eating surfaces and dropping food on the floor while eating, they are at a higher risk from dietary exposure to the pesticides which contaminate their environment.