Modeling the dietary pesticide exposures of young children

A stepped approach was used to assess the exposures of 1 1/2-4 1/2-year-old children in the United Kingdom to residues of pesticides (dithiocarbamates; phosmet; carbendazim) found in apples and pears. The theoretical possibility that the acute reference dose (ARD) was being exceeded for a particular pesticide/fruit was tested by applying a combination of maximal variability and maximum measured residue relative to an average-body-weight consumer. The actual risk was then quantified by stochastically modeling consumption, from dietary survey data, with individual body weights, against published residue results for 2000-2002 and the variability of residue distribution within batches. The results, expressed as numbers of children per day likely to ingest more than the ARD, were in the range of 10-226.6 children per day, depending upon the pesticide and year of sampling. The implications for regulatory action are discussed.