Dietary Intake and Its Contribution to Longitudinal Organophosphorus Pesticide Exposure in Urban/Suburban Children

TLDR

Organophosphorus pesticides are widely used, causing frequent exposure in adults and children. The study aimed to determine how much dietary intake contributes to organophosphorus pesticide exposure in young urban/suburban children over one year. A 1‑year longitudinal design with 23 children who switched to organic diets for 5 days each summer and fall season, with urinary metabolites measured twice daily, was used to assess exposure. Urinary OP metabolite levels varied seasonally with fresh produce consumption, and the study shows that dietary intake is the major source of exposure in young children.

Abstract

The widespread use of organophosphorus (OP) pesticides has led to frequent exposure in adults and children. Because such exposure may cause adverse health effects, particularly in children, the sources and patterns of exposure need to be studied further.We assessed young urban/suburban children's longitudinal exposure to OP pesticides in the Children's Pesticide Exposure Study (CPES) conducted in the greater Seattle, Washington, area, and used a novel study design that allowed us to determine the contribution of dietary intake to the overall OP pesticide exposure.Twenty-three children 3-11 years of age who consumed only conventional diets were recruited for this 1-year study conducted in 2003-2004. Children switched to organic diets for 5 consecutive days in the summer and fall sampling seasons. We measured specific urinary metabolites for malathion, chlorpyrifos, and other OP pesticides in urine samples collected twice daily for a period of 7, 12, or 15 consecutive days during each of the four seasons.By substituting organic fresh fruits and vegetables for corresponding conventional food items, the median urinary metabolite concentrations were reduced to nondetected or close to non-detected levels for malathion and chlorpyrifos at the end of the 5-day organic diet intervention period in both summer and fall seasons. We also observed a seasonal effect on the OP urinary metabolite concentrations, and this seasonality corresponds to the consumption of fresh produce throughout the year.The findings from this study demonstrate that dietary intake of OP pesticides represents the major source of exposure in young children.