title: An icon-based interview for the assessment of occupational pesticide exposure in a case-control study of childhood leukemia.
abstract: An icon-calendar interview form (ICF) for a case-control study of childhood leukemias and parental exposures to pesticides is described. It includes calendar sheets, icons for life events, crops, jobs, regions, non-agricultural jobs, application techniques and personal protection, markers for durations of exposure patterns, and checklists of pesticides. The ICF collects monthly data from two years before birth until diagnosis of cancer (index children) or until either the interview date or age 15 (controls). Data ascertainment was easy in 62% of interviews, moderately easy in 32%, and difficult in 6%. Seventy-eight subjects delivered data on specific pesticides with pesticide checklists, which improved identification of pesticides. ICF performs satisfactorily for crops, tasks, and other determinants of exposure. Data on pesticides will be further improved by introducing external data use on different crops, time periods, and regions, and by exposure modeling for 27 pesticides.
authors.affiliation: Central American Institute for Studies on Toxic Substances (IRET), Universidad Nacional, PO Box 86-3000, Heredia, Costa Rica. pmonge@una.ac.cr
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Monge
authors.forename: Catharina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wesseling
authors.forename: Lawrence S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Engel
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Keifer
authors.forename: Moniek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zuurbier
authors.forename: Marianela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rojas
authors.forename: Timo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Partanen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000382:Agricultural Workers' Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003364:Costa Rica / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007407:Interviews as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D007938:Leukemia / Q000139:chemically induced*; D008297:Male; D018811:Maternal Exposure; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D018812:Paternal Exposure; D010575:Pesticides / Q000633:toxicity*; D014171:Transients and Migrants
chemical_list: D010575:Pesticides