Multipathway organophosphorus pesticide exposures of preschool children living in agricultural and nonagricultural communities.

Environmental measurements of organophosphorus (OP) pesticides were conducted in the homes of 13 children, who lived either in the Seattle metropolitan area or in the agricultural region of Washington State, to ascertain exposure through multiple pathways. Each home was sampled for two 24-h periods during two seasons, summer and fall. Samples included 24-h indoor air, drinking water, soil, house dust, and hand and toy wipes and 24-h duplicate diets. At least one OP pesticide was found in each of the matrices sampled except for drinking water. Half of the indoor air samples contained detectable levels of chlorpyrifos or diazinon. Detectable levels of diazinon and azinphosmethyl in house dust were found in most of the agricultural homes, whereas only diazinon was found in the Seattle homes in the summer. Quantifiable chlorpyrifos and azinphosmethyl were found on either agricultural children's hands or their toys. These findings suggest different exposure pathways for children living in agricultural and nonagricultural regions.