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Whyatt RM, Garfinkel R, Hoepner LA, Holmes D, Borjas M, Williams MK, Reyes A, Rauh V, Perera FP, Camann DE. Within- and between-home variability in indoor-air insecticide levels during pregnancy among an inner-city cohort from New York City. Environ Health Perspect 2007; 115:383-9. [PMID: 17431487 PMCID: PMC1849946 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.9546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2006] [Accepted: 12/11/2006] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Residential insecticide use is widespread in the United States, but few data are available on the persistence and variability in levels in the indoor environment. OBJECTIVE The study aim was to assess within- and between-home variability in indoor-air insecticides over the final 2 months of pregnancy among a cohort of African-American and Dominican women from New York City. METHODS Women not employed outside the home were enrolled between February 2001 and May 2004 (n = 102); 9 insecticides and an adjuvant were measured in 48-hr personal air samples and 2-week integrated indoor air samples collected sequentially for 7.0 +/- 2.3 weeks (n = 337 air samples). RESULTS Sixty-one percent of the women reported using pest control during the air samplings. Chlorpyrifos, diazinon, and propoxur were detected in 99-100% of personal and indoor samples (range, 0.4-641 ng/m(3)). Piperonyl butoxide (a pyrethroid adjuvant) was detected in 45.5-68.5% (0.2-608 ng/m(3)). There was little within-home variability and no significant difference in air concentrations within homes over time (p > or = 0.2); between-home variability accounted for 88% of the variance in the indoor air levels of propoxur, 92% in chlorpyrifos, 94% in diazinon, and 62% in piperonyl butoxide (p < 0.001). Indoor and maternal personal air insecticide levels were highly correlated (r = 0.7-0.9, p < 0.001). Diazinon and chlorpyrifos levels declined 5-fold between 2001 and 2004 but were detected in all homes 1.5 and 2.5 years, respectively, after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ban on their residential use. CONCLUSION Results showed that the insecticides were persistent in the home with little variability in air concentrations over the 2 months and contributed to chronic maternal inhalation exposures during pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin M Whyatt
- Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032, USA.
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Williams MK, Barr DB, Camann DE, Cruz LA, Carlton EJ, Borjas M, Reyes A, Evans D, Kinney PL, Whitehead RD, Perera FP, Matsoanne S, Whyatt RM. An intervention to reduce residential insecticide exposure during pregnancy among an inner-city cohort. Environ Health Perspect 2006; 114:1684-9. [PMID: 17107853 PMCID: PMC1665406 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.9168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND We previously reported widespread insecticide exposure during pregnancy among inner-city women from New York City. Here we report on a pilot intervention using integrated pest management (IPM) to reduce pest infestations and residential insecticide exposures among pregnant New York City African-American and Latina women (25 intervention and 27 control homes). METHODS The IPM consisted of professional cleaning, sealing of pest entry points, application of low-toxicity pesticides, and education. Cockroach infestation levels and 2-week integrated indoor air samples were collected at baseline and one month postintervention. The insecticides detected in the indoor air samples were also measured in maternal and umbilical cord blood collected at delivery. RESULTS Cockroach infestations decreased significantly (p = 0.016) after the intervention among intervention cases but not control households. Among the intervention group, levels of piperonyl butoxide (a pyrethroid synergist) were significantly lower in indoor air samples after the intervention (p = 0.016). Insecticides were detected in maternal blood samples collected at delivery from controls but not from the intervention group. The difference was significant for trans-permethrin (p = 0.008) and of borderline significance (p = 0.1) for cis-permethrin and 2-isopropoxyphenol (a propoxur metabolite). CONCLUSION To our knowledge, this is the first study to use biologic dosimeters of prenatal pesticide exposure for assessing effectiveness of IPM. These pilot data suggest that IPM is an effective strategy for reducing pest infestation levels and the internal dose of insecticides during pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan K. Williams
- Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Dana B. Barr
- National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | | | - Linda A. Cruz
- Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Elizabeth J. Carlton
- Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Mejico Borjas
- Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Andria Reyes
- Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Dave Evans
- Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Patrick L. Kinney
- Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Ralph D. Whitehead
- National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Frederica P. Perera
- Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Stephen Matsoanne
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Robin M. Whyatt
- Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
- Address correspondence to R.M. Whyatt, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 60 Haven Ave., B-109, New York, NY 10032 USA. Telephone: (646) 459-9609. Fax: (646) 459-9610. E-mail:
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Perera FP, Tang D, Tu YH, Cruz LA, Borjas M, Bernert T, Whyatt RM. Biomarkers in maternal and newborn blood indicate heightened fetal susceptibility to procarcinogenic DNA damage. Environ Health Perspect 2004; 112:1133-6. [PMID: 15238289 PMCID: PMC1247389 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.6833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) such as benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) are widespread air contaminants released by transportation vehicles, power generation, and other combustion sources. Experimental evidence indicates that the developing fetus is more susceptible than the adult to carcinogenic effects of PAHs, although laboratory studies in rodents suggest that the dose to fetal tissues is an order of magnitude lower than that to maternal tissues. To assess fetal versus adult susceptibility to PAHs and environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), we compared carcinogen-DNA adducts (a biomarker associated with increased cancer risk) and cotinine (a biomarker of tobacco smoke exposure) in paired blood samples collected from mothers and newborns in New York City. We enrolled 265 nonsmoker African-American and Latina mother-newborn pairs in New York City between 1997 and 2001 (estimated average ambient air BaP concentrations < 0.5 ng/m3). Despite the estimated 10-fold lower fetal dose, mean levels of BaP-DNA adducts as determined by high-performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence were comparable in paired New York City newborn and maternal samples (0.24 adducts per 10(8) nucleotides, 45% of newborns with detectable adducts vs. 0.22 per 10(8) nucleotides, 41% of mothers with detectable adducts). However, by the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, the levels in newborns were higher (p = 0.02). Mean cotinine was higher in newborns than in mothers (1.7 ng/mL, 47% detectable vs. 1.28 ng/mL, 44% detectable). Consistent with our prior study in a Caucasian Polish population, these results indicate increased susceptibility of the fetus to DNA damage and reduced ability to clear ETS constituents. The findings have implications for risk assessment, given the need to protect children as a sensitive subset of the population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederica P Perera
- Mailman School of Public Health of Columbia University, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, New York, New York 10032, USA.
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