New Insights from EPA Describe Factors 

Affecting Children’s Exposures to 

Pesticides 

The Food Quality Protection Act and Safe 

Drinking Water Act Amendments include 

special provisions that require EPA to 

assess all of the ways that children may 

come into contact with pesticides in their 

everyday environments. This requires a 

thorough understanding of the factors that 

affect children’s exposures to chemicals in 

the environment. The EPA Office of 

Research and Development (ORD) has 

conducted or supported several targeted 

observational studies to address critical data 

gaps in the Agency’s understanding of the 

factors affecting children’s exposures. 

Results from these studies are described in 

a new report, Important Exposure Factors 

for Children: an Analysis of Laboratory and 

Observational Field Data Characterizing 

Cumulative Exposure to Pesticides, which

will be available in April 2007. 

 

 

• Describes the studies, the 

measurements performed, and 

summary statistics, 

This body of research 

provides important 

advancements in our 

understanding of 

factors that affect 

children’s exposures 

to chemicals in their 

environment. 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

Office of Research and Development 

The report integrates results from 13 

different research studies that include pilotscale and large observational exposure 

studies, as well as laboratory evaluations of 

sampling and analysis methods used in 

these studies. It includes real-world data 

which are critical for improving exposure 

assessments. The findings ensure that EPA 

exposure scientists, modelers and risk 

assessors have the most up-to-date 

scientific information available for use in 

developing more accurate risk assessments 

and risk reduction measures. 

Objectives 

The overall EPA objective in conducting this 

research is to identify factors that may 

influence children's exposures to pesticides 

and to provide scientific knowledge and data 

to other researchers. The report: 

• Compares results across studies, 

• Identifies trends and important 

exposure factors, and 

• Identifies areas where significant 

progress has been made in reducing 

uncertainties and areas where further 

research is vital. 

Results/Findings 

• The authors present concentration 

measurement data, summary 

statistics, spatial and temporal 

patterns, and comparative analyses 

with discussion. 

• The authors compare results across 

studies and across compounds from 

continued on reverse 
different classes of pesticides to 

identify trends and evaluate important 

factors influencing exposures to 

pesticides along each relevant route 

of contact. 

• Standardization of the collection 

methods used to measure 

concentrations on surfaces (a key 

part of dermal exposure estimates) 

remains a challenge. 

• The report examines relationships 

among application patterns, 

exposures, and biomarkers 

As in any observational exposure research 

study conducted by EPA, the protocols and 

procedures to obtain children’s assent and 

parental consent were reviewed and 

approved by independent institutional review 

boards. These studies complied with all 

applicable requirements of the Common 

Rule regarding protections for children. 

Examples of information that can be found in 

the report include the following: 

• Pesticide products were found in 

nearly 90 percent of the homes 

studied. Usage appears higher in 

warmer climates. Pesticide use 

patterns were not clearly associated 

with socio-demographic factors, nor 

did responses to questions about 

pesticide use correlate with 

concentrations measured in the 

homes. 

Citation: Important Exposure Factors for 

Children: an Analysis of Laboratory and 

Observational Field Data Characterizing 

Cumulative Exposure to Pesticides, 

Egeghy, P.P. and others, U.S. EPA, 

Washington, D.C., EPA/600/R-07/013, 2007. 

• Relatively high levels measured in 

food, compared to levels measured 

on surfaces or in air, suggest that 

dietary ingestion is often the dominant 

route of children’s exposure to 

pesticides 

Media Contact 

Melissa Anley-Mills, Press Officer 

(202.564.5179) 

Office of Research and Development 

U.S. EPA, Washington, D.C. 

• Levels measured in house dust 

suggest that incidental ingestion is 

also an important route of children’s 

exposure to pesticides. The 

marketplace shift from 

organophosphate pesticides to the 

less-volatile pyrethroid pesticides 

points toward an increased 

importance of indirect ingestion as an 

exposure pathway. 

Technical Contact 

Roy Fortmann, Ph.D., Branch Chief 

(919.541.1021) 

Exposure Measurements and Analysis 

Branch 

National Exposure Research Laboratory 

Office of Research and Development 

U.S. EPA, Research Triangle Park, NC

• Concentrations in indoor air are 

strongly influenced by the pesticide’s 

chemical properties. 

• Estimates of pesticide intake based 

on environmental and dietary 

measurements are often lower than 

estimates based on measurements of 

excreted biomarkers of exposure. 

2 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

Office of Research and Development