Organophosphorus pesticide exposure from house dust and parent-reported child behavior in Latino children from an orchard community

Khalid M Khan; Marie E Gaine; Alyssa R Daniel; Pavani Chilamkuri; Diane S Rohlman

doi:10.1016/j.neuro.2024.03.001

Organophosphorus pesticide exposure from house dust and parent-reported child behavior in Latino children from an orchard community

Neurotoxicology. 2024 Mar 6:102:29-36. doi: 10.1016/j.neuro.2024.03.001. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Khalid M Khan¹, Marie E Gaine², Alyssa R Daniel², Pavani Chilamkuri³, Diane S Rohlman⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Public Health, College of Health Science, Sam Houston State University, 1901 Ave I, Huntsville, TX 77340, USA. Electronic address: kxk051@shsu.edu.
² Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Experimental Therapeutics (PSET), College of Pharmacy, University of Iowa, 546 CPB, 180 S Grand Ave, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Human Toxicology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
³ Department of Public Health, College of Health Science, Sam Houston State University, 1901 Ave I, Huntsville, TX 77340, USA.
⁴ Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, S143 CPHB 145 N. Riverside Drive, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.

PMID: 38453034
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2024.03.001

Abstract

Background: Organophosphorus pesticide (OP) exposure is known to have adverse effects on the nervous system. Children from agricultural communities are at risk of exposure to these chemicals from their indoor environments that can lead to neurological and developmental problems, including changes in behavior.

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate whether the take-home pathway exposure is associated with behavioral and emotional problems in Latino Orchid Community children.

Method: The study was implemented over a period of two years (2008-2010) in an orchard farming community with a total of 324 parents who had children between the ages of 5-12 years old. Mothers of the children were asked to complete the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and dust from their carpets was collected. Emotional and behavioral deficits were assessed based on the CBCL and house dust was assessed for OP concentrations. In this study, correlations between OPs in house dust and CBCL subscales were estimated using linear regression models with total OP concentrations classified by tertiles. This study also facilitated the comparison between the agricultural and non-agricultural families in terms of behavioral deficits and house dust concentrations of pesticides.

Results: The data from the study shows that there was a positive association between the concentration of OP residues in house dust and internalizing behavior (β=2.06, p=0.05) whereas the association with externalizing behavior was not significant after accounting for sociocultural covariates. Significant positive associations of OP residues with somatic problems (p=0.02) and thought problems (p=0.05) were also found.

Conclusion: The data support a potential role of OP exposure in childhood development, with a specific focus on internalizing behavior. Future work focused on longitudinal studies may uncover the long-term consequences of OP exposure and behavior.

Keywords: Agricultural communities; Behavioral deficits; Children; Organophosphorus pesticides; Take-home exposure pathways.