Environmental contextSafeguarding the quality of residential indoor air depends on exposure assessment of potential contaminants. Using online survey responses from households in Korea, and focusing on those households containing preschoolers, we created a database of exposure, characterising household insecticide usage patterns. Evaluating the combined inhalation exposure to insecticides available in retail markets will support efforts to improve residential indoor air quality and the health and safety of all inhabitants.
AbstractTo accurately assess the health risks associated with the use of retail insecticides, we developed a database for the combined inhalation exposure to insecticides available in retail markets of preschoolers and children based on household usage patterns. This database presents the usage characteristics for each product, which includes its use frequency, per application duration, per application quantity and concurrent use with other insecticidal products as useful exposure factors. The 1932 household insecticides identified in the online product survey contained 184 different active ingredients, which included deltamethrin, d-phenothrin, phthalthrin, hydramethylnon, permethrin, chloropyrifos and cyhalothrin. A total of 5015 survey respondents, which included 385 respondents with 416 infants, 688 respondents with 809 toddlers and 821 respondents with 1040 children were surveyed. Among the insecticides included in the subset, 224 products contained deltamethrin and 205 products contained d-phenothrin as the predominant active ingredient. Among the families with infants, multiple insecticidal products were used in combination to eliminate or control mosquitos, cockroaches and house flies (88/385 respondents or 22.9%). For families with infants, toddlers and children, the total mean exposure amounts for all household insecticides were 4622.5, 5537.3 and 3515.0g month−1 in the summer. The results of the present study substantially contribute to the state of knowledge regarding the combined inhalation exposure to retail insecticides of preschoolers and children.