| Agricultural and Residential Pesticides in Wipe Samples from Farmworker Family Residences in North Carolina and Virginia Sara A. Quandt,1 Thomas A. Arcury,2 Pamela Rao,2 Beverly M. Snively,1 David E. Camann,3 Alicia M. Doran,2 Alice Y. Yau,3 Jane A. Hoppin,4 and David S. Jackson2 1Department of Public Health Sciences and 2Department of Family and Community Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; 3Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, USA; 4National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA Abstract
Children of farmworkers can be exposed to pesticides through multiple pathways, including agricultural take-home and drift as well as residential applications. Because farmworker families often live in poor-quality housing, the exposure from residential pesticide use may be substantial. We measured eight locally reported agricultural pesticides and 13 pesticides commonly found in U.S. houses in residences of 41 farmworker families with at least one child < 7 years of age in western North Carolina and Virginia. Wipe samples were taken from floor surfaces, toys, and children's hands. We also collected interview data on possible predictors of pesticide presence, including characteristics of the household residents, cleaning practices, and characteristics of the home. All families were Spanish-speaking, primarily from Mexico. Results indicate that six agricultural and 11 residential pesticides were found in the homes, with agricultural, residential, or both present in 95% of homes sampled. In general, residential pesticides were more commonly found. Presence of both types of pesticides on the floor was positively associated with detection on toys or hands. Agricultural pesticide detection was associated with housing adjacent to agricultural fields. Residential pesticide detection was associated with houses judged difficult to clean. Although the likelihood of agricultural pesticide exposure has been considered high for farmworker families, these results indicate that residential pesticide use and exposure in this population merit further study. Key words: agriculture, children, exposure, house dust, Latino. Environ Health Perspect 112:382-387 (2004) . doi:10.1289/ehp.6554 available via http://dx.doi.org/ [Online 12 November 2003]
Address correspondence to S.A. Quandt, Department of Public Health Sciences, Medical Center Blvd., Piedmont Plaza II, Suite 512, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1063 USA. Telephone: (336) 716-6015. Fax: (336) 713-4157. E-mail: squandt@wfubmc.edu We acknowledge the laboratory assistance of M.M. Zuniga, J.M. Clothier, and B. Walker. This work was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (R01 ES08739) . The authors declare they have no competing financial interests. Received 30 June 2003 ; accepted 12 November 2003.
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