You are here:
FOOT TRANSFER OF LAWN APPLIED PESTICIDES FROM TURF TO CARPET: COMPARISON OF SEMIVOLATILE CHLORPYRIFOS WITH NONVOLATILE CHLOROTHALONIL
Citation:
Nishioka, M. G., R G. Lewis, M. C. Brinkman, AND H. M. Burkholder. FOOT TRANSFER OF LAWN APPLIED PESTICIDES FROM TURF TO CARPET: COMPARISON OF SEMIVOLATILE CHLORPYRIFOS WITH NONVOLATILE CHLOROTHALONIL. BULLETIN OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION AND TOXICOLOGY 68(1):64-71, (2002).
Impact/Purpose:
The goal of this task is to contribute to a better understanding of human exposure to pesticides, especially for small children by developing methods to characterize sources and pathways in and around the residential environment. We will support the science behind FQPA and assist the Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) in the development of guidelines for the assessment of residential exposure to pesticides. Specific research objectives include: (i) to evaluate and develop methods for measuring pesticides in air using passive/diffusive samplers. Assess and refine devices for the collection of surface transferable pesticide residues and to establish transfer efficiencies; (ii) to develop and apply analytical methods for new and emerging pesticides using both gas and liquid chromatographic methods in support of the National Exposure Research Laboratory's (NERL) Human Exposure Measurement Project; and, (iii) to conduct pilot studies investigating chiral chromatographic methods.
Description:
Residues of pesticides are found on lawns after direct applications or as a result of drift from applications to ornamentals, gardens, or perimeters of buildings. These residues dissipate by volatilization, transport to soil by rainfall or watering, photochemical and microbial degradation, and other mechanisms. The lifetimes of pesticide residues on turf are generally short relative to those on indoor surfaces. Many of the pesticides identified in house dust and indoor air obviously have outdoor sources. The presence in house dust of pesticides that are typically used on the lawn or garden, suggest track-in of turf and soil residues.
The study described here was conducted to examine the temporal behavior of dislodgeable turf residues of two pesticides that have been commonly used on lawns and estimate the extent to which they may be tracked into a home by normal walking and entry into the home. This study was carried out to compare dislodgeable turf residue levels and track-in rates for differing pesticides, application methods, and application rates. The applicability of this test design, and comparison of chemical factors such as volatility and water solubility to significantly different pesticides were evaluated here with the insecticide chlorpyrifos in both emulsifiable concentrate (EC) spray and granular applications and the fungicide chlorothalonil in an EC formulation.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through its Office of Research and Development funded the research described here under Contract No. 68-DO-0007 to Battelle. It has been subjected to Agency review and approved for publication. Mention of trade names or commercial product does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.