title: Lower acetylcholinesterase activity among children living with flower plantation workers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Children of workers exposed to pesticides are at risk of secondary pesticide exposure. We evaluated the potential for lower acetylcholinesterase activity in children cohabiting with fresh-cut flower plantation workers, which would be expected from organophosphate and carbamate insecticide exposure. Parental home surveys were performed and acetylcholinesterase activity was measured in 277 children aged 4-9 years in the Secondary Exposure to Pesticides among Infants, Children and Adolescents (ESPINA) study. Participants lived in a rural county in Ecuador with substantial flower plantation activity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean acetylcholinesterase activity was 3.14 U/ml, standard deviation (SD) of 0.49. It was lower by 0.09 U/ml (95% confidence interval (CI) -0.19, -0.001) in children of flower workers (57% of participants) than non-flower workers' children, after adjustment for gender, age, height-for-age, hemoglobin concentration, income, pesticide use within household lot, pesticide use by contiguous neighbors, examination date and residence distance to nearest flower plantation. Using a 4 level polychotomous acetylcholinesterase activity dependent variable, flower worker cohabitation (vs. not) had odds ratio 3.39 (95% CI 1.19, 9.64) for being <15th percentile compared to the highest tertile. Children cohabitating for ≥5 years (vs. never) had OR of 4.11 (95% CI: 1.17, 14.38) of AChE activity within <15th percentile compared to the highest tertile.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cohabitation with a flower worker was related to lower acetylcholinesterase activity in children. This supports the hypothesis that the amount of take-home pesticides from flower workers suffices to decrease acetylcholinesterase activity, with lower activity associated with longer exposure.
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota, 1300 South 2nd Street, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55454, USA. suarez@umn.edu
authors.forename: Jose R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Suarez-Lopez
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.forename: John H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Himes
authors.forename: Bruce H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Alexander
authors.forename: Deann
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lazovich
authors.forename: Megan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gunnar
mesh_terms: D000110:Acetylcholinesterase / Q000097:blood*; D002219:Carbamates / Q000009:adverse effects; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004484:Ecuador; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005260:Female; D035264:Flowers; D006801:Humans; D007306:Insecticides / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010755:Organophosphates / Q000009:adverse effects; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D002219:Carbamates; D007306:Insecticides; D010755:Organophosphates; D000110:Acetylcholinesterase