Repeated pesticide exposure among North Carolina migrant and seasonal farmworkers

Abstract

Background Limited data document the multiple and repeated pesticide absorption experienced by farmworkers in an agricultural season or their risk factors. Methods Data were collected from 196 farmworkers four times at monthly intervals in 2007. Urine samples were tested for 12 pesticide urinary metabolites. Questionnaire data provided measures of exposure risks. Results Farmworkers had at least one detection for many pesticide urinary metabolites; for example, 84.2% had at least one detection for acephate, 88.8% for 3,5,6‐trichloro‐2‐pyridinol. Most farmworkers had multiple detections for specific metabolites; for example, 64.8% had two or more detections for acephate, 64.8% for 3,5,6‐trichloro‐2‐pyridinol, 79.1% for 3‐phenoxybenzoic acid, and 86.7% for 2,4‐dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. Housing type had a consistent significant association with metabolite detections. Conclusions Farmworkers are exposed to multiple pesticides across an agricultural season, and they experience repeated exposures to the same pesticides. Reducing farmworker pesticide exposure and delineating the health outcomes of this exposure require more detailed data. Am. J. Ind. Med. 53:802–813, 2010.