title: Pesticide exposure in dwellings near bulb growing fields in The Netherlands: an explorative study.
abstract: An explorative field study was conducted to assess residential exposure to pesticides, regularly applied in bulb farming. House dust floor samples were taken from homes of bulb farmers (n = 12) and from homes in close proximity to a bulb field (i.e. non-farmers) (n = 15). Samples were analysed for 7 pesticides used by bulb growers in the sampling period. Of these pesticides, chloropropham, flutolanil and vinchlozolin could be detected in non-farmers homes. All pesticides were detected in farmers' homes, except metamitron. Median concentrations for chloropropham were significantly higher in farmers' homes (0.05 vs. 0.20 microg/m(2), p = 0.03). Logistic regression analyses showed that the odds for detecting pesticides were higher in farmers' compared to non-farmers' homes and remained higher after correction for potential confounders. Results showed no significant effect of proximity of a residence to a bulb field for median concentrations of pesticides; however, logistic regression analysis showed a borderline statistically significant effect for detecting chloropropham above the detection limit (OR = 10, p = 0.08). These findings demonstrate that, as expected, risk of exposure is higher for bulb farmers than for non-farmers. They also indicate that exposure to pesticides is not limited to bulb farmers only, and this warrants further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Astrid Hogenkamp, Science Shop for Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Astrid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hogenkamp
authors.forename: Manon
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vaal
authors.forename: Dick
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Heederik
mesh_terms: D000382:Agricultural Workers' Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D009426:Netherlands; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010575:Pesticides / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D031447:Tulipa
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D010575:Pesticides