Loewenherz C, Fenske R A, Simcox N J, Bellamy G, Kalman D
Department of Environmental Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
Environ Health Perspect. 1997 Dec;105(12):1344-53. doi: 10.1289/ehp.971051344.
Children up to 6 years of age who lived with pesticide applicators were monitored for increased risk of pesticide exposure: 48 pesticide applicator and 14 reference families were recruited from an agricultural region of Washington State in June 1995. A total of 160 spot urine samples were collected from 88 children, including repeated measures 3-7 days apart. Samples were assayed by gas chromatography flame photometric detector for dimethylphosphate metabolites. Dimethylthiophosphate (DMTP) was the dominant metabolite. DMTP levels were significantly higher in applicator children than in reference children (p = 0.015), with median concentrations of 0.021 and 0.005 microg/ml, respectively; maximum concentrations were 0.44 and 0.10 microg/ml, respectively. Percentages of detectable samples were 47% for applicator children and 27% for reference children. A marginally significant trend of increasing concentration was observed with decreasing age among applicator children (p = 0.060), and younger children within these families had significantly higher concentrations when compared to their older siblings (p = 0.040). Applicator children living less than 200 feet from an orchard were associated with higher frequency of detectable DMTP levels than nonproximal applicator children (p =0.036). These results indicate that applicator children experienced higher organophosphorus pesticide exposures than did reference children in the same community and that proximity to spraying is an important contributor to such exposures. Trends related to age suggest that child activity is an important variable for exposure. It is unlikely that any of the observed exposures posed a hazard of acute intoxication. This study points to the need for a more detailed understanding of pesticide exposure pathways for children of agricultural workers.
对与农药施用者生活在一起的6岁以下儿童进行监测，以评估其农药暴露风险增加的情况：1995年6月，从华盛顿州的一个农业地区招募了48个农药施用者家庭和14个对照家庭。共从88名儿童中采集了160份即时尿样，包括间隔3至7天的重复测量样本。通过气相色谱火焰光度检测器对样本进行二甲基磷酸酯代谢物检测。二甲基硫代磷酸酯（DMTP）是主要代谢物。施用者家庭儿童的DMTP水平显著高于对照家庭儿童（p = 0.015），中位数浓度分别为0.021和0.005微克/毫升；最大浓度分别为0.44和0.10微克/毫升。施用者家庭儿童样本可检测率为47%，对照家庭儿童为27%。在施用者家庭儿童中，观察到浓度随年龄降低呈略微显著的上升趋势（p = 0.060），与哥哥姐姐相比，这些家庭中年龄较小的儿童浓度显著更高（p = 0.040）。居住在距离果园不到200英尺的施用者家庭儿童，其可检测到的DMTP水平频率高于不住在附近的施用者家庭儿童（p = 0.036）。这些结果表明，与同一社区的对照家庭儿童相比，施用者家庭儿童接触有机磷农药的水平更高，且靠近喷洒作业是此类接触的一个重要因素。与年龄相关的趋势表明儿童活动是接触的一个重要变量。观察到的任何接触情况都不太可能构成急性中毒危险。这项研究指出，需要更详细地了解农业工人子女的农药接触途径。
