Indigenous children living nearby plantations with chlorpyrifos-treated bags have elevated 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCPy) urinary concentrations.

Abstract

Background: The USEnvironmentalProtectionAgencyvoluntaryphased-outresidentialuseofchlor- pyrifosin2001.Incontrast,inCostaRica,chlorpyrifos-treatedbagsareincreasinglyusedtoprotect bananaandplantainfruitsfrominsectsandtofulfillproductstandards,eveninpopulatedareas. Objectives: To evaluatechildren’sexposuretochlorpyrifosinvillagessituatednearbybananaplanta- tions andplantainfarmsinCostaRica. Methods: The studytargetedtwovillageswithuseofchlorpyrifos-treatedbagsinnearbybanana plantationsandplantainfarmsandonevillagewithmainlyorganicproduction.For140childrenfrom these villages,mostlyindigenousNg¨abe andBribri,parent-interviewsandurinesamples(n¼207) were obtained.Urinary3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol(TCPy)levelsweremeasuredasabiomarkerforchlor- pyrifosexposure.Inthebananaandplantainvillagealsoenvironmentalcontaminationtochlorpyrifos was explored. Results: Children fromthebananaandplantainvillageshadstatisticallysignificanthigherurinaryTCPy concentrationsthanchildrenfromthereferentvillage;2.6and2.2versus1.3 mg/g creatinine, respectively.Chlorpyrifoswasdetectedin30%oftheenvironmentalsamplesaswellasin92%ofthe hand/footwashsamples.FormorethanhalfofthechildrentheirestimatedintakeexceededtheUSEPA chronic populationadjusteddose.Forsome,theacutepopulationadjusteddoseandthechronic referencedosewerealsoexceeded. Conclusions: Our resultssuggestthatchildrenlivingnearbyplantationswithchlorpyrifos-treatedbags are exposedtochlorpyrifoslevelsthatmayaffecttheirhealth.Interventionstoreducechlorpyrifos exposurearelikelytoimprovechildren’shealthandenvironmentinbananaandplantaingrowing regions.