Authors
Ruder-AM; Butler-MA; Sanderson-WT; Carreón-T; Waters-MA; Zivkovich-ZE
Source
J Agric Saf Health 2009 Apr; 15(2):143-156
Abstract
For the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) case-control study of glioma among non-metropolitan residents, pesticide information was considered critical. Responses to open-ended questions about pesticide exposures had to be grouped for analysis. Our aim was to classify pesticide responses in biologically relevant categories. We built the NIOSH Retrospective Pesticide Reference Database (NIOSH-RPRD) on over 1000 pesticide products and chemicals, particularly those likely to be used in the upper Midwest, using multiple sources. We obtained first and last years of product registration and product pesticide ingredients and their relative weights from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Pesticide Product Information System. We added fields for pesticide class (organophosphate, etc.), carcinogenicity ratings, and evidence regarding endocrine-disrupting activity. Participant data were merged with the database, allowing each product recalled by a respondent to be linked to one or more chemicals, as appropriate. Respondents named 1,347 different pesticides (or pesticide-targeted species) used on the farm, at non-farm jobs, or at home. Database usefulness was assessed by comparing numbers of responses naming actual chemicals to total responses linked to those chemicals. Sixty percent of farm pesticide, 59% of non-farm occupational, and 65% of house and garden responses named products, not chemicals. Among farm pesticide users, 182 (46%) reported using a total of 440 pesticides 1 to 40 years (mean 8.5 years) before those pesticides actually were marketed. The NIOSH-RPRD, now available to other investigators, has been a useful tool for us and other researchers to evaluate, group, and correct pesticide responses.
Keywords
Information-retrieval-systems; Information-systems; Pesticides; Pesticides-and-agricultural-chemicals; Insecticides; Organo-phosphorus-pesticides; Agricultural-chemicals; Agricultural-workers; Agricultural-industry; Farmers;
Author Keywords: Agricultural workers; Agriculture; Agrochemicals; Pesticides Classification; Research design; Risk assessment
Contact
Avima M. Ruder, NIOSH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4676 Columbia Parkway, R-16, Cincinnati, OH 45226
Document Type
Journal Article
Email Address
amr2@cdc.gov
Identifying No.
Grant-Number-T42-OH-008491
NIOSH Division
DSHEFS; DART
Priority Area
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing; Manufacturing
Source Name
Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health
Performing Organization
University of Iowa