Pesticide Use and Practices in an Iowa Farm Family Pesticide Exposure Study

Details

• Personal Author:
  Alavanja M ; Curwin B ; Hein M ; Reynolds S ; Sanderson, Wayne T.
• Description:
  Residents of Iowa were enrolled in a study investigating differences in pesticide contamination and exposure factors between 25 farm homes and 25 non-farm homes. The target pesticides investigated were atrazine, metolachlor, acetochlor, alachlor, 2,4-D, glyphosate, and chlorpyrifos; all were applied to either corn or soybean crops. A questionnaire was administered to all participants to determine residential pesticide use in and around the home. In addition, a questionnaire was administered to the farmers to determine the agricultural pesticides they used on the farm and their application practices. Non-agricultural pesticides were used more in and around farm homes than non-farm homes. Atrazine was the agricultural pesticide used most by farmers. Most farmers applied pesticides themselves but only 10 (59%) used tractors with enclosed cabs, and they typically wore little personal protective equipment (PPE). On almost every farm, more than one agricultural pesticide was applied. Corn was grown by 23 (92%) farmers and soybeans by 12 (48%) farmers. Of these, 10 (40%) grew both soybeans and corn, with only 2 (8%) growing only soybeans and 13 (52%) growing only corn. The majority of farmers changed from their work clothes and shoes in the home, and when they changed outside or in the garage, they usually brought their clothes and shoes inside. Applying pesticides using tractors with open cabs, not wearing PPE, and changing from work clothes in the home may increase pesticide exposure and contamination. Almost half of the 66 farm children less than 16 years of age were engaged in some form of farm chores, with 6 (9%) potentially directly exposed to pesticides, while only 2 (4%) of the 52 non-farm children less than 16 years of age had farm chores, and none were directly exposed to pesticides. Farm homes may be contaminated with pesticides in several ways, resulting in potentially more contamination than non-farm homes, and farm children may be directly exposed to pesticides through farm chores involving pesticides. In addition to providing a description of pesticide use, the data presented here will be useful in evaluating potential contributing factors to household pesticide contamination and family exposure. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Family Farmers Insecticides Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Safety Surveys And Questionnaires
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Pesticides Exposure-levels Exposure Factors Families Personal-protective-equipment Pesticide-residues Pesticides Pesticides-and-agricultural-chemicals PPE Questionnaires
• ISSN:
  1074-7583
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Colorado ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 8
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  423-433
• Volume:
  8
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20023034
• Citation:
  J Agric Saf Health 2002 Nov; 8(4):423-433
• Contact Point Address:
  Brian Curwin, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 4676 Columbia Parkway MS R-14, Cincinnati, OH 45226
• Email:
  bcruwin@cdc.gov
• CAS Registry Number:
  (2,4-Dichlorophenoxy)acetic acid (CAS RN 94-75-7) ; Alachlor (CAS RN 15972-60-8) ; Atrazine (CAS RN 1912-24-9) ; Chlorpyrifos (CAS RN 2921-88-2) ; Glyphosate (CAS RN 1071-83-6)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2003
• NORA Priority Area:
  Work Environment And Workforce: Special Populations
• Performing Organization:
  Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  19940701
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health
• End Date:
  20050630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:1fc2606ca12f8f93fe0d6129ff4b0bce1d9f268f17a43c4584943fce976628b93634eeec2883dbdccea3ad365d6942deabc5758fcc6cf5917fd0609ec5bada56
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/199621/cdc_199621_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 95.27 KB ]