Residential exposure

Compared with the occupational exposnre of applicators and workers following pesticide application in the field, post-application residential exposure to pesticides used in and around the home is lower in level, but encompasses a wider variety of scenarios, such as age distribution, activity patterns and product use. Typically, few data are available on residential exposure, while a large body of data does exist for occupational exposures. Residential exposure assessment and modeling may benefit from the new data requirements under the United States Food Qnality Protection Act of 1996 (Lewis et al, 1994 Hill et al., 1995 Lu and Fenske, 1998 USEPA, 1990 Whitmore et al., 1994). In occupational exposnre assessment, a database approach is favored, while in residential exposure assessment a mechanistic and statistical modeling approach is dominant. 

Lewis RG, Fortmann RC, Camann DE. 1994. Evaluation of methods for monitoring the potential exposure of small children to pesticides in the residential environment. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 26 37-46. 

US ERA, Occupational and Residential Exposure Test Guidelines, OPPTS 875.1000, Background for Application Exposure Monitoring Test Guidelines, Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, p.l4 (1996). 

Growing concern about the risks posed by indoor radon has underscored the need for dependable radon-resistant residential construction techniques. In response to this public health exposure, the U.S. EPA has developed and demonstrated a variety of methods that have been used to reduce radon levels in existing homes.2,8 Many of these methods could be applied during construction, involve less labor and financial investments, and provide greater homeowner satisfaction and safety than would a radon-reduction technique installed after the home is built and occupied. 

Dr. Day was a founding member of the Pesticide Handlers Exposure Database (PHED) Task Force, and was instrumental in the development of the database, which is now widely used in the field of pesticide worker exposure. In 1994, he was a key player in the formation of the Agricultural Worker Re-entry Task Force (ARTF) and the Outdoor Residential Exposure Task Force (ORETF), and he served as chairman of the ARTF Technical Committee from its inception in 1994 until his retirement from DowElanco. Dr. Day also served as his company s representative on the Residue Technical Committee of the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) from 1989 to 1996. He continues to serve as a consultant to the agrochemical industry. 

The PPLVs applicable to industrial scenarios would possibly be water ingestion (as in the case of residential housing), and more likely dust inhalation. A conservative approach would be to use the equation applied to DNT for worker exposure to dust,... 

Sedman RM. 1989. The development of applied action levels for soil contact A scenario for the exposure of humans to soil in a residential setting. Environ Health Perspect 79 291-313. 

Aggregate exposure to a pesticide from all dietary sources drinking water, residential and other routes must be taken into account ... 

The team led by Whyatt used regression analysis to assess whether there was a difference in the association between chlorpyrifos exposure and birth outcome before and after the EPA s action in the summer of 2000 which had ended residential use of chlorpyrifos. Prior to 2001, chlorpyrifos clearly had an impact on birth outcome, but after the EPA action taken in June 2000, levels of exposure declined and there was no longer a statistically significant association between insecticide exposure and birth outcome (Whyatt et al., 2004, 2005). This study provides encouraging evidence linking an action driven by the FQPA to a significant reduction in prenatal and infant exposures and risk. 

Whyatt, R. M., Camann, D., Perera, F. P., Rauh, V. A., Tang, D., Kinney, P. L., Garfinkel, R., Andrews, H., Hoepner, L. and Barr, D. B. (2005). Biomarkers in assessing residential insecticide exposures during pregnancy and effects on fetal growth . Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol., 206(2), 246-254. 

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