Organophosphorus pesticide exposure from house dust and parent-reported child behavior in Latino children from an orchard community

BACKGROUND

Organophosphorus pesticide (OP) exposure is known to have adverse effects on the nervous system. Children from agricultural communities are at risk of exposure to these chemicals from their indoor environments that can lead to neurological and developmental problems, including changes in behavior.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to evaluate whether the take-home pathway exposure is associated with behavioral and emotional problems in Latino Orchid Community children.

METHOD

The study was implemented over a period of two years (2008-2010) in an orchard farming community with a total of 324 parents who had children between the ages of 5-12 years old. Mothers of the children were asked to complete the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and dust from their carpets was collected. Emotional and behavioral deficits were assessed based on the CBCL and house dust was assessed for OP concentrations. In this study, correlations between OPs in house dust and CBCL subscales were estimated using linear regression models with total OP concentrations classified by tertiles. This study also facilitated the comparison between the agricultural and non-agricultural families in terms of behavioral deficits and house dust concentrations of pesticides.

RESULTS

The data from the study shows that there was a positive association between the concentration of OP residues in house dust and internalizing behavior (β=2.06, p=0.05) whereas the association with externalizing behavior was not significant after accounting for sociocultural covariates. Significant positive associations of OP residues with somatic problems (p=0.02) and thought problems (p=0.05) were also found.

CONCLUSION

The data support a potential role of OP exposure in childhood development, with a specific focus on internalizing behavior. Future work focused on longitudinal studies may uncover the long-term consequences of OP exposure and behavior.

Social vulnerability and climate risk assessment for agricultural communities in the United States

Floods and droughts significantly affect agricultural activities and pose a threat to food security by subsequently reducing agricultural production. The impact of flood events is distributed disproportionately among agricultural communities based on their socio-economic fabric. Understanding climate-related hazards is critical for planning mitigation measures to secure vulnerable communities. This study introduces a holistic approach for evaluating the combined risks associated with drought and flood hazards for agricultural communities in the United States. It accomplishes this by merging social vulnerability indicators with data on drought and flood exposure, enabling the identification of the most susceptible agricultural communities. The research seeks to offer valuable insights into the vulnerability of agricultural communities across the United States. It fills a vital research gap by conducting a comprehensive nationwide assessment of social vulnerability, considering expected annual losses related to both flood and drought hazards, and amalgamating social vulnerability with these expected annual losses. The analyses were conducted by adapting datasets and methodologies that are developed by federal institutions such as FEMA, USACE, and USDA. The study identified the 30 most socially vulnerable counties and assessed their exposure to drought and flooding, finding that Mendocino, Sonoma, Humboldt, El Dorado, Fresno, and Kern counties in California had the highest drought exposure and expected annual losses, with Humboldt (CA) and Montgomery (TX) having the highest combined risk. The study estimated over $1 billion in crop damage, with California experiencing the greatest losses, primarily affecting a diverse range of crops, while the Midwest was primarily impacted in terms of major crop types. The findings of this study can serve as supportive information for policymakers to better understand climate risks in agricultural communities and identify where risk mitigation activities should be allocated.