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FEASIBILITY STUDY OF THE POTENTIAL FOR HUMAN EXPOSURE TO PET-BORNE DIAZINON RESIDUES FOLLOWING LAWN APPLICATIONS
Citation:
Morgan, M K., D M. Stout II, AND N K. Wilson. FEASIBILITY STUDY OF THE POTENTIAL FOR HUMAN EXPOSURE TO PET-BORNE DIAZINON RESIDUES FOLLOWING LAWN APPLICATIONS. BULLETIN OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION AND TOXICOLOGY 66(3):295-300, (2001).
Impact/Purpose:
1. To identify those pesticides, pathways, and activities that represent the highest potential exposures to children;
2. To determine the factors that influence pesticide exposures to children;
3. To develop methods for measuring multimedia exposures to children, including methods that account for important activities that take place in home, school, and day care settings;
4. To generate data on multimedia pesticide concentrations, pesticide biomarkers, and exposure factors that can be used as inputs to aggregate exposure models for children.
Description:
Diazinon (O,O-diethyl-O-[2-isopropyl-6-methylpyrimidin-4-yl]phosphorothioate) is a broad spectrum organophosphorus insecticide commonly used to control a variety of pest insects (ticks, grubs, ants, and fleas) on lawns (Earl et al. 1971; Tomlin, 1994). Recently, Stout II (1998) showed an association between applications of insecticides to the exterior perimeter of residential dwellings and residues measured inside the homes. His results suggest that pesticide residues intrude readily into living areas by translocation as vapors and/or by track-in, depending on the pesticides' physical characteristics. Nishioka et al. (1997) showed that foot traffic through pesticide (2,4-D) treated turf was a significant mechanism for transport of this lawn-applied pesticide into homes. In a subsequent examination of homes receiving pesticide applications to turf, Nishioka et al. (1999) found that carpet dust collected from homes having high child and pet activity had greater levels of pesticide residues than homes having low child and pet activity. These findings suggest that familial factors, such as the activities of children and specifically pets, might serve as an important vehicle for transport of turf-applied pesticides into dwellings. Nishioka's results also suggest that the activity of pets greatly exceeds all other routes of transport for such residues. Furthermore, residues tracked into the home by indoor/outdoor pets, such as family dogs, may be deposited onto surfaces and volatilize or be resuspended into air, potentially exposing occupants. Pets may also transfer pollutants to humans through direct intimate contact (for example, petting, playing, kissing, licking and resting on laps).
The objectives of this study were 1) to investigate the potential for an indoor/outdoor pet dog to transport and translocate diazinon residues into a residence following a lawn application, 2) to determine if intimate contacts between a pet dog and occupants resulted in measurable exposures, and 3) to determine if a pet dog could be a good indicator of exposure following a lawn application of diazinon.
This work has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. It has been subjected to Agency review and approved for publication. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.