Grantee Research Project Results

2001 Progress Report: Community Based Intervention to Reduce Pesticide Exposures to Young Children

EPA Grant Number: R826709C001
Subproject: this is subproject number 001 , established and managed by the Center Director under grant R826709
(EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
Center: Center for Integrative Research on Childhood Leukemia and the Environment - 2015
Center Director: Metayer, Catherine
Title: Community Based Intervention to Reduce Pesticide Exposures to Young Children
Investigators: Eskenazi, Brenda , Meyers, Jim
Current Investigators: Eskenazi, Brenda
Institution: University of California - Berkeley
EPA Project Officer: Callan, Richard
Project Period: January 1, 1998 through January 1, 2002
Project Period Covered by this Report: January 1, 2000 through January 1, 2001
Project Amount: Refer to main center abstract for funding details.
RFA: Centers for Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research (1998) RFA Text |  Recipients Lists
Research Category: Children's Health , Human Health

Objective:

The objectives are to: (1) determine whether exposure to pesticides is associated with poorer neurodevelopmental functioning and behavioral problems, delayed growth, and increased respiratory symptoms and disease; and (2) determine whether exposure to environmental allergens and respiratory irritants is associated with increased respiratory symptoms and disease.

Progress Summary:

Quantitative Pesticide Exposure Assessment (QEA)

Based on discussions at our Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) meeting on October 24, 2000, we re-designed our planned quantitative exposure assessment (QEA) and initiated a collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL). Detailed exposure measurements will be collected for 20 children during the growing season of 2002. Additionally, we will analyze dust samples for all cohort participants. In response to critiques of laboratory studies by Southwest Research Institute at the October 24 SAC meeting, we solicited proposals of all planned pesticide analyses of environmental samples for the revised QEA. Based on our review of these proposals and input by chemists at University of Washington, California Department of Health Services, and EPA, the contract for analysis of pesticides in environmental samples was awarded to Battelle Laboratories. A subcontract has been established with Battelle, and they initiated the method validation and sample analysis work in August 2001. Standard operating procedures are now being prepared for the QEA fieldwork that will begin next spring. A description of the scope of work and revised Exposure Study specific aims was provided to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and EPA.

Vehicle Dust Sub-Study

We are collaborating with Ray Chavira from EPA Region 9 to conduct a sub-study of pesticides in vehicle dust of Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS) participants. Sampling was conducted by Mr. Chavira in August and September 2001. Thirty-six samples have been collected and will be shipped to Battelle for laboratory analysis. This sub-study will augment the exposure component of CHAMACOS and also serve as part of Mr. Chavira’s doctoral dissertation. Analytical costs of this sub-study are being contributed by Region IX.

Time Activity Assessment

The first phase of the Time Activity Assessment (TAA) involving videotaping of young children has been conducted as planned by Dr. Jim Leckie’s group from Stanford. Ten children were recruited and videotaped. Recruitment was conducted at day care centers; clinics; farm worker meetings; labor camps; Women, Infants and Children (WIC) classes; and festivals (Día de Trabajador Agrícola) and through contacts from CHAMACOS and the California Rural Legal Assistance Program. The most significant obstacle was the length of the time commitment required of participating families (i.e., initial family meeting, setup, videotaping session). Based on family responses, total taping time was reduced to 4 hours. All of the videotapes are copied and labeled with alphanumeric codes in order to protect the child’s identity. Next summer at least 10 additional children will be taped. Special attention will be given to the demographics of the children to balance the gender and age groups (Table 1). Ideally there should be at least 10 children in both the 6- to 12-month-old and 22- to 26-month-old age groups, with equal numbers of boys and girls in each group. To accomplish this goal, four 6-month olds (all males) and six 24-month olds (four female and two male) will be needed.

Table 1. Demographics of Children Videotaped

Pesticide Use Report Data

Pesticide Use Report (PUR) data for 1999 was released by the State Department of Pesticide Regulation in December 2000. Co-investigators at the California Department of Health Services have begun summarizing these data and developing data sets that will be used for the CHAMACOS Exposure Study. Relatively few CHAMACOS participants were enrolled in 1999; however, computer programs developed for the 1999 data will be directly applicable for the Year 2000 data, and we will be able to quickly begin analyzing the PUR data for all prenatal urine samples collected in 1999 and 2000 as soon as the Year 2000 data are available (expected 12/01).

Research Changes

As outlined above, the QEA was redesigned to focus intensive environmental sampling on a smaller group of children while freeing up resources to analyze dust samples across the cohort. The changes followed advice from our SAC. The intensive QEA sampling will be supported by supplemental resources from EPA NERL. The net fiscal impacts are neutral. To avoid additional burdens on CHAMACOS participants, families participating in the QEA and the TAA will not be CHAMACOS subjects, but will be recruited from similar populations served by our clinical and community partners.

Future Activities:

Future activities will include the following:

• Plan and implement QEA for next pesticide application (growing season).

• Continue with data entry and integration of data sources (study instruments, CDC urine data, state PUR data, etc.

• Continued data analysis

Journal Articles:

No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 15 publications for this subproject

Supplemental Keywords:

Health, RFA, Air, Scientific Discipline, Toxics, Susceptibility/Sensitive Population/Genetic Susceptibility, Health Risk Assessment, pesticides, Risk Assessments, genetic susceptability, Environmental Chemistry, Children's Health, indoor air, Biochemistry, air quality, disease, health effects, Human Health Risk Assessment, indoor air quality, infants, sensitive populations, environmental hazard exposures, age dependent response, human exposure, pesticide exposure, agricultural community, household, children, children's vulnerablity, environmental health hazard, intervention, community-based intervention, home, assessment of exposure, farmworkers, exposure pathways

Relevant Websites:

http://www.chamacos.org/ Exit

Progress and Final Reports:

Original Abstract

1998

1999 Progress Report

2000 Progress Report

Final

Main Center Abstract and Reports:

R826709    Center for Integrative Research on Childhood Leukemia and the Environment - 2015

Subprojects under this Center: (EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
R826709C001 Community Based Intervention to Reduce Pesticide Exposures to Young Children
R826709C002 The Epidemiological Investigation of the Effects of Pesticide Exposure on Neurodevelopmental, Growth, and Respiratory Health of Farmworker Children
R826709C003 A Comprehensive Assessment of Sources of Pesticide Contamination, Concentrations in Pathways, and Exposure-prone Behavior