In this study, researchers investigated the relationship between environmental concentrations of pesticides in air and specific metabolites in urine to assess exposure pathways. The focus was on pyrimethanil and chlorpyrifos and their corresponding metabolites (OHP and TCPy) in pregnant women from the ISA program in Matina, Costa Rica. The study included 448 pregnant women, and air concentrations were measured using passive air samplers (PAS) in 12 schools.
A Bayesian space-time model was used to extrapolate air concentrations of pyrimethanil and chlorpyrifos over space and time. Results showed that a 10% increase in airborne pyrimethanil was associated with a 5.7% increase in urinary OHP. Women living farther from banana plantations and those with specific dietary habits had lower levels of OHP. In addition, a 1 ng/m3 increase in airborne chlorpyrifos was associated with a 1.5% increase in urinary TCPy, and women working in agriculture tended to have higher levels of TCPy.
The study concludes that Bayesian space-time models were effective in estimating airborne concentrations of pyrimethanil and chlorpyrifos. The results suggest that inhalation is an important pathway for environmental exposure to these pesticides. Passive air samplers proved to be a valuable technique for monitoring exposure to currently used pesticides. For future research, it is recommended to expand the number of sites for air measurements, synchronize air and urine measurements in the same month, and ideally include estimates of dermal exposure.
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Pyrimethanil and chlorpyrifos air concentrations and pregnant women's urinary metabolites in the Infants' Environmental Health Study (ISA), Costa Rica. Giffin, A., Hoppin, J. A., Córdoba, L., Solano-Díaz, K., Ruepert, C., Peñaloza-Castañeda, J., Lindh, C., Reich, B. J., & van Wendel de Joode, B. (2022). Environment international, 166, 107328. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2022.107328