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Pesticide Exposure and Impact
4.2.3 Other Examples
One example of an acute exposure episode involving a toxic volatile industrial chemical was the accidental release of methyl isocyanate gas (an intermediate in the production of carbamate pesticides) from a chemical plant in
Bhopal, India, in 1984 (Varma and Varma, 2005). The released gas engulfed a
nearby village resulting in thousands of fatalities and injuries.
Another example involved workers involved in the construction of a tunnel linking Sweden with Denmark. The tunnel walls were grouted with
acrylamide, which polymerized to polyacrylamide to seal the tunnel against
intrusion of moisture. During grouting, the unpolymerized acrylamide
monomer was released inadvertently to the air at levels resulting in exposures to hundreds of workers at signifcant levels of the neurotoxin (Kjuus,
2001). Ironically, the same chemical (acrylamide) is formed via the Maillard
browning reactions that occur during cooking of high carbohydrate foods,
resulting in population-wide low-level exposures to acrylamide, a carcinogen and cumulative neurotoxin (Tareke et al., 2002).
4.2.4 Mitigation
Public awareness of the potential risks of pesticide exposure has prompted
pesticide manufacturers and applicators to decrease exposures to nearby
populations. It is particularly important for local authorities and governments to enact measures that would protect nearby residents and ecosystems.
Pesticide manufacturers and applicators have responded by (1) using salts of
pesticides that can be applied via drip irrigation or other targeted means (as
opposed to the spray planes) (Seiber et al., 2014); (2) use of biopesticides that
have a more targeted effect and generally break down in the environment
faster (Chapters 2 and 12); (3) the use of pheromones or semiochemicals, for
example, to trap insects; and (4) the use of genetically modifed crops that
make their own pesticides. In combination, these strategies can signifcantly
reduce exposures to communities in proximity to high agricultural activities,
especially in California, the Midwest United States, and Florida.
4.3 Regulations and Classifications
Regulatory agencies that limit pesticide exposure include international agencies (World Health Organization (WHO)), regional and national agencies
(European Union (EU), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Food and
Drug Administration (FDA)), statewide agencies (California Department of
Pesticide Regulation (CDPR)), and individual counties and municipalities.
These agencies are described in the accompanying glossary. For the most
part, they focus on the residue in food and water and not on residues in
air. Also, there are no enforceable regulatory limits to amounts permissible
Pesticide Exposure and Impact
4.2.3 Other Examples
One example of an acute exposure episode involving a toxic volatile industrial chemical was the accidental release of methyl isocyanate gas (an intermediate in the production of carbamate pesticides) from a chemical plant in
Bhopal, India, in 1984 (Varma and Varma, 2005). The released gas engulfed a
nearby village resulting in thousands of fatalities and injuries.
Another example involved workers involved in the construction of a tunnel linking Sweden with Denmark. The tunnel walls were grouted with
acrylamide, which polymerized to polyacrylamide to seal the tunnel against
intrusion of moisture. During grouting, the unpolymerized acrylamide
monomer was released inadvertently to the air at levels resulting in exposures to hundreds of workers at signifcant levels of the neurotoxin (Kjuus,
2001). Ironically, the same chemical (acrylamide) is formed via the Maillard
browning reactions that occur during cooking of high carbohydrate foods,
resulting in population-wide low-level exposures to acrylamide, a carcinogen and cumulative neurotoxin (Tareke et al., 2002).
4.2.4 Mitigation
Public awareness of the potential risks of pesticide exposure has prompted
pesticide manufacturers and applicators to decrease exposures to nearby
populations. It is particularly important for local authorities and governments to enact measures that would protect nearby residents and ecosystems.
Pesticide manufacturers and applicators have responded by (1) using salts of
pesticides that can be applied via drip irrigation or other targeted means (as
opposed to the spray planes) (Seiber et al., 2014); (2) use of biopesticides that
have a more targeted effect and generally break down in the environment
faster (Chapters 2 and 12); (3) the use of pheromones or semiochemicals, for
example, to trap insects; and (4) the use of genetically modifed crops that
make their own pesticides. In combination, these strategies can signifcantly
reduce exposures to communities in proximity to high agricultural activities,
especially in California, the Midwest United States, and Florida.
4.3 Regulations and Classifications
Regulatory agencies that limit pesticide exposure include international agencies (World Health Organization (WHO)), regional and national agencies
(European Union (EU), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Food and
Drug Administration (FDA)), statewide agencies (California Department of
Pesticide Regulation (CDPR)), and individual counties and municipalities.
These agencies are described in the accompanying glossary. For the most
part, they focus on the residue in food and water and not on residues in
air. Also, there are no enforceable regulatory limits to amounts permissible