Determinants of Atrazine Contamination in Iowa Homes and Occupational Exposure in Central America

Details

• Personal Author:
  Lozier MJ
• Description:
  Background. Atrazine is an agricultural herbicide used extensively in corn production worldwide. Atrazine is an endocrine disruptor and has been linked to many other deleterious health outcomes. Exposure assessment studies have been carried out in Iowa among farm and non-farm populations. However, commercial pesticide applicators have been left out of those studies. Atrazine is also used in developing countries in grain production. In developing countries there is great concern about acute pesticide poisonings, but chronic exposure to less acutely toxic pesticides has not been studied extensively. This study assessed in-home contamination of atrazine among commercial pesticide applicators in Iowa and compared these results to similar studies. Occupational inhalation exposure to atrazine was also assessed in Honduras. Methods. Dust samples were taken from 29 commercial pesticide applicator homes in four different locations. Sampling was done during the atrazine application season and again six months later to assess atrazine persistence. Occupational and household characteristics were analyzed for associations with atrazine dust levels. Data from two previous studies that analyzed farm and non-farm household dust samples for atrazine were combined with this data and analysis was performed to identify which population had the greatest risk for take-home atrazine exposure and which determinants were associated with in-home atrazine dust levels. Lastly, corn production practices in Honduras were evaluated and personal air samples were taken from pesticide applicators during atrazine application to assess inhalation exposure. Results. The first study found that atrazine levels persist into the winter months in the homes of commercial applicators. Atrazine handling (days, pounds, and acres sprayed) were all positively associated with in-home atrazine levels. Commercial applicators that change their shoes inside had higher atrazine levels. The second study identified commercial applicators' homes as the most contaminated compared with farmers who apply atrazine to their own land, farmers who hire out atrazine application, and non-farm homes. Farmers that apply their own atrazine also had significantly higher atrazine levels in their homes. The association between atrazine handling and household atrazine levels was highly significant in this study (p < 0.001). In Honduras, atrazine is applied to corn fields with tractor/boom equipment and manual backpack sprayers. Despite applying about one-fifteenth the amount of atrazine, backpack sprayers are exposed to nearly equal amounts of atrazine via inhalation exposure and likely have greater dermal exposure. Among backpack sprayers, which type of spray nozzle used is associated with inhalation exposure. Among tractor/boom applicators, tractor drivers have much lower inhalation exposure than workers who operate and observe the boom. Conclusions. The amount of atrazine handled is the most important determinant for predicting in-home atrazine levels in Iowa. Ubiquitous atrazine contamination and its distribution within homes and among household type provide strong evidence for the take-home pathway. While some improvements have been made in Honduras regarding pesticide application, poor farm workers and small farmers still use antiquated pesticide application techniques which leads to a higher risk of inhalation and dermal exposure. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Dust Endocrine System Environmental Monitoring Farmers Insecticides Occupational Health Respiratory System Safety
• Keywords:
  Air Sampling Atrazine Dust Exposure Endocrine Disruptors Farm Workers Indoor Environments Inhalation Pesticides And Agricultural Chemicals
• ISBN:
  9781124440729
• Publisher:
  ProQuest LLC.
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Thesis
• Place as Subject:
  Iowa ; OSHA Region 7
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20056697
• Citation:
  Ann Arbor, MI: ProQuest LLC., 2010 Dec; :3439217
• CAS Registry Number:
  Atrazine (CAS RN 1912-24-9)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2011
• Performing Organization:
  University of Iowa
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Determinants of atrazine contamination in Iowa homes and occupational exposure in central America
• End Date:
  20290630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:33e4cf535b9ad5d1d940bdb13b945c6edf96d83a781341636907ec68d8486289c413841e95e4c31a3b98a3b3286183c03823d3f38de5c9655a209a097ff6ccb7
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/214250/cdc_214250_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 920.20 KB ]