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Persistence of indoor permethrin and estimation of dermal and non-dietary exposure

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 30, pages 547–553 (2020)Cite this article

Abstract

Pesticides applied indoors may persist longer than they would in outdoor environments, making people more vulnerable to the risk of exposure. Permethrin is a pyrethroid insecticide used in agricultural, residential, and public health sites, and is commonly detected in indoor environments. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the persistence of permethrin indoors and to estimate the levels of possible dermal and non-dietary exposure to this insecticide. Permethrin was applied on aluminum foil and kept in a glass chamber and a test house for 112 days; its concentration was measured at application and after 28, 56, and 112 days. Permethrin persisted for the entire 112 days in concentrations equal to a maximum of 89.6% of the initial concentration. We observed low levels of human dermal and non-dietary exposure to permethrin.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) for financial support and for granting a technical trainee scholarship to C. M. Nascimento.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biological Institute, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Lia Emi Nakagawa, Cristiane Mazarin do Nascimento, Alan Roberto Costa & Ricardo Polatto

  2. Municipal Secretariat of Health, São Paulo, SP, Brazil

    Solange Papini

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  1. Lia Emi Nakagawa
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  2. Cristiane Mazarin do Nascimento
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  3. Alan Roberto Costa
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Correspondence to Lia Emi Nakagawa.

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Nakagawa, L.E., do Nascimento, C.M., Costa, A.R. et al. Persistence of indoor permethrin and estimation of dermal and non-dietary exposure. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 30, 547–553 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41370-019-0132-7

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