Skip to main content
Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine logoLink to Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine
. 2003 Sep;8(4):139–145. doi: 10.1007/BF02897918

Investigation of indoor air pollution by chlorpyrifos: Determination of chlorpyrifos in indoor air and 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol in residents’ urine as an exposure index

Hong Dai 1,, Fumiyuki Asakawa 2, Shigeru Suna 1, Tomohiro Hirao 1, Tomonori Karita 1, Ichiro Fukunaga 1, Fumihiko Jitsunari 1
PMCID: PMC2723390  PMID: 21432102

Abstract

Objects

We carried out an investigation to clarify the real state of indoor air pollution by chlorpyrifos (termiticide) and exposure to chlorpyrifos of residents by measuring its urinary metabolite 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCP) as an exposure index, such as biological monitoring.

Methods

The investigation was conducted in 43 individual houses with termiticide application (whether the termiticide was chlorpyrifos is uncertain) and 3 control houses without any termiticide application in Kagawa, Japan. Urine samples were collected from 46 healthy adult residents of the aforementioned houses.

Results

Chlorpyrifos in indoor air in the control houses was not detected (ND<1 ng/m3, n=3), while 41 of 43 houses with termiticide application showed 1–350 ng/m3. Although the chlorpyrifos concentrations in these 41 houses did not exceeded the indoor air quality guideline of 1000 ng/m3, but 3 houses were higher than the guideline 100 ng/m3 for children in Japan. Urinary TCP concentrations of 0.1–7.8 ng/mg·creatinine were detected in 41 residents from the 41 houses where chlorpyrifos had been detected. The chlorpyrifos concentration and the urinary TCP revealed a positive correlation (r=0.5468, p<0.01, n=41).

Conclusions

The immediate health hazard from air born chlorpyrifos in the examined houses was negligible, but the findings suggest that it is necessary to monitor chemicals which may contaminate indoor air and to assess the risk of prolonged exposure to such chemicals. The measuring of urinary metabolite TCP of chlorpyrifos via biological monitoring would be useful, allowing comprehensive evaluation of the exposure to chlorpyrifos in indoor air.

Key words: indoor air pollution; termite control; chlorpyrifos; urinary 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol; biological monitoring

References

  • (1).WHO Regional Office for Europe. Indoor Air Pollutants: Exposure and Health Effects, Report on a WHO Meeting, 1982.
  • (2).Sterling E, Sterling T, McIntyer D. New health hazards in sealed buildings. AIA. J. April. 1983; 72: 64–67. [PubMed]
  • (3).Godish T. Sick Buildings Definition, Diagnosis and Mitigation. Florida: CRC Press. Inc., Boca Raton, Florida, USA. 1996.
  • (4).Matsumura T. The indoor air contamination by chemicals: VOC and formaldehyde. Jpn. J. Soc. Atmos. Environ. 1996; 31: A154-A164. (in Japanese)
  • (5).Ikeda K. Sick house syndrome. Seikatsu to Kankyo. 1998; 43: 24–33. (in Japanese)
  • (6).Matsumura T, Kametani K, Muramatsu S. Studies on indoor air pollution (III): The concentration of formaldehyde in indoor air. Jpn. J. Public Health. 1983; 30: 303–308. (in Japanese)
  • (7).Kumagai K, Ikeda K, Hori M, Matsumura T, Nozaki A, Kimura H, Iikura K, Yoshizawa S. Field study on volatile organic compounds in residences. Indoor Environ. 1999; 2: 130–133. (in Japanese)
  • (8).Dai H, Asakawa F, Suna S, You S, Hirao T, Tadokoro S. Kitamado T, Jitsunari F. The VOCs concentration in the living environment and individual exposure in university. J. Shikoku Public Health Soc. 2000; 45: 75–78. (in Japanese)
  • (9).Hara K, Ito A, Harada K, Miyakita T, Wei CN, Ueda A. Time series of indoor concentrations of formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds in a newly-built brick house. Indoor Environ. 2000; 3: 45–50. (in Japanese)
  • (10).Asakawa F, Dai H, Suna S, Manabe Y, Jitsunari F. Change of formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds concentrations in indoor air of new school building/exposure levels to these compounds, and health conditions of the staff. Indoor Environ. 2001; 4: 188–191. (in Japanese)
  • (11).Nolan RJ, Rick DL, Freshour NL, Saunders JH. Chlorpyrifos: Pharmacokinetics in human volunteers. Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 1984; 73: 8–15. [DOI] [PubMed]
  • (12).Asakawa F, Jitsunari F, Suna S, Shiraishi H, Manabe Y, Gotoh A, Nakajima T. The actual state of occupational exposure to chlorpyrifos of termite control workers. Jpn. J. Hygiene. 1989; 44: 921–928. (in Japanese) [DOI] [PubMed]
  • (13).Jitsunari F, Asakawa F, Nakajima T, Shimada J. Determination of 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol levels in the urine of termite control workers using chlorpyrifos. Acta Med. Okayama. 1989; 43: 299–306. [DOI] [PubMed]
  • (14).USA Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Pesticide Programs, Health Effects Division (7509C). Human Health Risk Assessment: Chlorpyrifos. 2000.
  • (15).Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan. Environmental Health Committee on Sick House Syndrome: Indoor Air Pollution Progress Report No. 2, Summary on the Discussions at the 4 and 5 Meetings. 2000.
  • (16).Asakawa F, Jitsunari F, Dai H, Kitamado T. Monitoring of indoor air contamination by chemicals: Chlorpyrifos, permethrin, HCHO, VOCs. Bull. Kurashiki Univ. Sci. Arts. 2002; 7: 45–55. (in Japanese)
  • (17).Asakawa F, Jitsunari F, Dai H, S-upuna S, Hirao T, Kitamado T, Fukunaga I. Research on monitoring of indoor air contamination by chemicals: Preparation and trial use of passive sampler for measuring chlorpyrifos, permethrin in ambient air. District Environ. Health Welfare Res. 2000; 4: 10–13. (in Japanese)
  • (18).Asakawa F, Jitsunari F, S-upuna S, Hirao T, Dai H. Research on monitoring of indoor air contamination by chemicals: Measuring methods of chlorpyrifos, permethrin in air and their urinary metabolite. District Environ. Health Welfare Res. 1999; 3: 22–25. (in Japanese)
  • (19).WHO. Environmental Health Criteria 63, Organophosphorus Insecticides; a General Introduction. Geneva. WHO. 1986.
  • (20).Johnson DE, Seidler FJ, Slotkin TA. Early biochemical detection of delayed neurotoxicity resulting from developmental exposure to chlorpyrifos. Brain. Res. Bull. 1998; 45: 143–147. [DOI] [PubMed]
  • (21).David AJ, Ryman VN, Rondell AB, Gabrielle LM. Cognitive function and cholinergic neurochemistry in weanling rats exposed to chlorpyrifos. Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 2001; 174: 89–98. [DOI] [PubMed]
  • (22).Hanai Y, Chen YH, Naganishi J. Indoor air pollution from construction materials. Bull. Institute Environ. Sci. Tech. Yokohama Univ. 1996; 22: 1–10. (in Japanese)
  • (23).Katsura E, Ogawa H, Kojima H, Fukushima A. Indoor air pollution by chlorpyrifos and s-421 after application for termite control. Jpn. J. Toxicol. Environ. Health. 1996; 42: 354–359. (in Japanese)
  • (24).Hill RH, Head SL, Baker S, Gregg M, Shealy DB, Bailey SL, Williams CC, Sampson EJ, Needham LL. Pesticide residues in urine of adults living in the united states: Reference range concentrations. Environ. Res. 1995; 71: 99–108. [DOI] [PubMed]
  • (25).Buckley TJ, Liddle J, Ashley DL, Paschal DC, Burse VW, Needham LL, Akland G. Environmental and biomarker measurements in nine homes in the lower Rio Grande Valley: Multimedia results for pesticides, Metals, PAHs and VOCs. Environ. Int. 1997; 23: 705–732. [DOI]

Articles from Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine are provided here courtesy of The Japanese Society for Hygiene

RESOURCES