%0 Journal Article %J Int J Environ Res Public Health %D 2023 %T Pesticide Exposure among Latinx Children in Rural Farmworker and Urban Non-Farmworker Communities: Associations with Locality and Season. %A Thomas A Arcury %A Haiying Chen %A Sara A Quandt %A Jennifer W Talton %A Kim A Anderson %A Richard P Scott %A Phillip Summers %A Paul J Laurienti %K Agriculture %K Child %K Chlorpyrifos %K Environmental Exposure %K Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry %K Hispanic or Latino %K Humans %K Pesticides %K Pyrethrins %K Seasons %X

This study uses repeated measures to document the pesticide exposure of rural and urban Latinx children (age eight at baseline), and to compare these children in terms of the frequency and concentration of their exposure to a large set of pesticides, accounting for season. We used silicone wristbands worn for one week up to ten times at quarterly intervals from 2018 to 2022 to assess pesticide exposure in children from rural farmworker ( = 75) and urban non-farmworker ( = 61) families. We determined the detection and concentrations (ng/g) of 72 pesticides and pesticide degradation products in the wristbands using gas chromatography electron capture detection and gas chromatography mass spectrometry. The most frequently detected pesticide classes were organochlorines, pyrethroids, and organophosphates. Controlling for season, organochlorine or phenylpyrazole detections were less likely for rural children than for urban children. Detections of organochlorines, pyrethroids, or organophosphates were lower in spring and summer versus winter. Controlling for season, urban children had greater concentrations of organochlorines, while rural children had greater concentrations of pyrethroids and Chlorpyrifos. Pesticide concentrations were lower in winter and spring compared with summer and fall. These results further document that pesticides are ubiquitous in the living environment for children in vulnerable, immigrant communities.

%B Int J Environ Res Public Health %V 20 %8 2023 Apr 26 %G eng %N 9 %R 10.3390/ijerph20095647 %0 Journal Article %J Neurotoxicol Teratol %D 2022 %T Comparing impact of pesticide exposure on cognitive abilities of Latinx children from rural farmworker and urban non-farmworker families in North Carolina. %A Dobbins, Dorothy L %A Haiying Chen %A Milton J. Cepeda %A Berenson, Lesley %A Jennifer W Talton %A Kim A Anderson %A Jonathan H Burdette %A Sara A Quandt %A Thomas A Arcury %A Paul J Laurienti %K Agriculture %K Child %K Child, Preschool %K Cognition %K Environmental Exposure %K Farmers %K Female %K Humans %K North Carolina %K Occupational Exposure %K Pesticides %K Pregnancy %X

Pesticide exposure remains a health hazard despite extensive study into adverse effects. Children in vulnerable populations, such as Latinx children in farmworker families, are particularly at risk for exposure. Several studies have demonstrated the detrimental cognitive effects of prenatal exposure to pesticides, particularly organophosphates (OPs) within this high-risk group. However, results from studies investigating the cognitive effects of early childhood pesticide exposure are equivocal. Most studies examining the effects of pesticide exposure have used correlative analyses rather than examining populations with expected high and low exposure. The current study compares 8-year-old children from rural families of farmworkers and urban, non-farmworker families. We used the Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children - Fifth Edition (WISC-V) to assess cognitive performance in these children. We designed this study with the expectation that children from farmworker families would have greater exposure to agricultural pesticides than urban, non-farmworker children. This assumption of exposure to agricultural pesticides was confirmed in a recent report that assessed exposure probabilities using life history calendars. However, data from passive wristband sampling of acute (1-week) pesticide exposure from these same children indicate that both study populations have considerable pesticide exposure but to different chemicals. As expected the children of farmworkers had greater OP exposure than non-farmworker children, but the non-farmworker children had greater exposure to two other classes of insecticides (organochlorines [OCs] and pyrethroids). Our analyses considered these findings. A comparison of the cognitive scores between groups revealed that children from farmworker families had slightly higher performance on the Visual-Spatial Index (VSI) and Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI) when compared to children from non-farmworker families. Regression analyses where pesticide exposure was included as covariates revealed that OC exposure accounted for the largest portion of the group differences for both VSI and VCI. However, a post-hoc moderation analysis did not find significant interactions. The main study outcome was that the non-farmworker children exhibited lower WISC-V scores than the children from farmworker families, and the analyses incorporating pesticide exposure measures raise the hypothesis the that pervasive and persistent nature of a variety of pesticides may have adverse effects on the neurodevelopment of young Latinx children whether living in rural or non-farmworker environments.

%B Neurotoxicol Teratol %V 92 %P 107106 %8 2022 Jul-Aug %G eng %R 10.1016/j.ntt.2022.107106 %0 Journal Article %J Chemosphere %D 2019 %T Differential exposure to organophosphate flame retardants in mother-child pairs. %A Gibson, Elizabeth A %A Heather M Stapleton %A Lehyla Calero %A Darrell Holmes %A Burke, Kimberly %A Martinez, Rodney %A Cortes, Boris %A Nematollahi, Amy %A Evans, David %A Kim A Anderson %A Julie Herbstman %K Adult %K Child %K Child Development %K Child, Preschool %K Cohort Studies %K Dust %K Environmental Exposure %K Female %K Flame Retardants %K Humans %K Male %K Mothers %K Organophosphates %K Young Adult %X

BACKGROUND: Humans are ubiquitously exposed to flame retardants, including organophosphate esters (OPEs), through direct contact with consumer products or exposure through household dust. Children are at increased risk because of their proximity to dust, hand-to-mouth activity, and the importance of childhood as a critical period in neurodevelopment.

OBJECTIVES: To quantify differences in exposure levels between mothers and children (three to six years of age), we analyzed urinary metabolites of OPEs. We additionally assessed the ability of silicone wristbands (measuring ambient exposure) to predict urinary metabolite concentrations.

METHODS: We selected 32 mother and child dyads from an existing cohort. Participants provided baseline urine samples and wore wristbands for one week. After the first week, they returned their wristbands and provided a second urine sample. During the second week, participants wore a second wristband that they returned at the end of week two with a third and final urine sample.

RESULTS: We found significantly higher levels of bis(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (BDCIPP) (p < 0.001) and lower levels of bis(1-chloro-2-isopropyl) 1-hydroxy-2-propyl phosphate (BCIPHIPP) (p < 0.001) in children's urine samples compared to mothers' samples at baseline. We found that triphenylphosphate (TPHP), tris(1,3-dichloroisopropyl) phosphate (TDCIPP), and tris(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TCIPP) measured in wristbands predicted their respective metabolite levels in urine.

CONCLUSION: Children had higher levels than mothers for two of six flame retardant metabolites measured in urine. Generally, wristband measurements positively predicted internal dose. As little is known about the health effects of OPEs on child development, future research is needed to determine the impact of differential exposure.

%B Chemosphere %V 219 %P 567-573 %8 2019 Mar %G eng %R 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2018.12.008 %0 Journal Article %J Mutat Res %D 2017 %T Personal samplers of bioavailable pesticides integrated with a hair follicle assay of DNA damage to assess environmental exposures and their associated risks in children. %A Vidi, Pierre-Alexandre %A Kim A Anderson %A Haiying Chen %A Rebecca Anderson %A Salvador-Moreno, Naike %A Mora, Dana C %A Carolyn M Poutasse %A Paul J Laurienti %A Daniel, Stephanie S %A Thomas A Arcury %K Biological Availability %K Child %K Community-Based Participatory Research %K DNA Damage %K DNA Repair %K Environmental Exposure %K Hair Follicle %K Humans %K North Carolina %K Pesticides %K Risk Assessment %K Specimen Handling %X

Agriculture in the United States employs youth ages ten and older in work environments with high pesticide levels. Younger children in rural areas may also be affected by indirect pesticide exposures. The long-term effects of pesticides on health and development are difficult to assess and poorly understood. Yet, epidemiologic studies suggest associations with cancer as well as cognitive deficits. We report a practical and cost-effective approach to assess environmental pesticide exposures and their biological consequences in children. Our approach combines silicone wristband personal samplers and DNA damage quantification from hair follicles, and was tested as part of a community-based participatory research (CBPR) project involving ten Latino children from farmworker households in North Carolina. Our study documents high acceptance among Latino children and their caregivers of these noninvasive sampling methods. The personal samplers detected organophosphates, organochlorines, and pyrethroids in the majority of the participants (70%, 90%, 80%, respectively). Pesticides were detected in all participant samplers, with an average of 6.2±2.4 detections/participant sampler. DNA damage in epithelial cells from the sheath and bulb of plucked hairs follicles was quantified by immunostaining 53BP1-labled DNA repair foci. This method is sensitive, as shown by dose response analyses to γ radiations where the lowest dose tested (0.1Gy) led to significant increased 53BP1 foci density. Immunolabeling of DNA repair foci has significant advantages over the comet assay in that specific regions of the follicles can be analyzed. In this cohort of child participants, significant association was found between the number of pesticide detections and DNA damage in the papilla region of the hairs. We anticipate that this monitoring approach of bioavailable pesticides and genotoxicity will enhance our knowledge of the biological effects of pesticides to guide education programs and safety policies.

%B Mutat Res %V 822 %P 27-33 %8 2017 Oct %G eng %R 10.1016/j.mrgentox.2017.07.003