{"id":39004,"date":"2025-07-15T00:01:19","date_gmt":"2025-07-15T04:01:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/?p=39004"},"modified":"2025-07-15T13:05:17","modified_gmt":"2025-07-15T17:05:17","slug":"pesticides-persist-in-indoor-dust-drinking-water-and-urine-in-households-according-to-indiana-study","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2025\/07\/pesticides-persist-in-indoor-dust-drinking-water-and-urine-in-households-according-to-indiana-study\/","title":{"rendered":"Pesticides Persist in Indoor Dust, Drinking Water and Urine in Households, According to Indiana Study"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Beyond Pesticides<\/em>, July 15, 2025) A study published in Environmental Science and Technology<\/em><\/a> finds that there are 47 current-use pesticides\u2014products with active ingredients that are currently registered with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) \u2014detected in samples of indoor dust, drinking water, and urine from households in Indiana. This study builds on existing scientific literature documenting the public health threat of nonoccupational, indoor pesticide exposure. (See previous Daily News <\/em>here<\/a>, here<\/a>, and here<\/a>.) The study is a reminder that pesticides move into the indoor environment through the air, and on clothing, making exposure more widespread than the assumptions used in regulatory reviews.<\/p>\n

Background and Methodology<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cIn this study, we collected matched samples of indoor dust, drinking water, and urine from 81 households in Indiana, United States, and analyzed these samples for 82 CUPs [current use pesticides], including 48 insecticides, 25 herbicides, and 9 fungicides,\u201d say the authors. They continue: \u201cOf these, 47 CUPs were identified across samples of indoor dust, drinking water, and urine with median total CUP (\u2211CUP) concentrations of 18 300 ng\/g, 101 ng\/L, and 2.93 ng\/mL, respectively.\u201d The herbicides (13) detected include 2,4-D<\/a> (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid), Alachlor<\/a>, Atrazine<\/a>, CIAT (Desethyl-atrazine), Diuron<\/a>, Metolachlor<\/a>, Metolachlor OA (Oxanilic acid), OIAT (2-Hydroxy-4-isopropylamino-6-amino-s-triazine), OIET (2-Hydroxyatrazine), Prometon, Simazine<\/a>, Acetochlor<\/a>, and Acetochlor OA; the insecticides (20) include neonicotinoids<\/a> (Acetamiprid<\/a>, Clothianidin<\/a>, Dinotefuran<\/a>, Imidacloprid<\/a>, Thiacloprid<\/a>, Thiamethoxam<\/a>, NDMA [N-desmethyl-acetamiprid], and 6-CNA [6-Chloronicotinic acid]), organophosphates<\/a> (Diazinon<\/a>, Ethoprophos, Malathion<\/a>, IMPY [2-isopropyl-4-methyl-6-hydroxypyrimidine], PNP [p-nitrophenol], and TCP\u03b3 [3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol]), pyrethroids<\/a> (3-PBA [3-Phenoxybenzoic acid], 4-F-3-BA [4-Fluoro-3-phenoxybenzoic acid], and Fenpropathrin<\/a>), and phenylpyrazoles (Fipronil<\/a>, Fipronil sulfone, and Desulfinyl fipronil); and the fungicides<\/a> (9) detected include azoles (Myclobutanil<\/a>, Propiconazole<\/a>, Tebuconazole<\/a>, and Metconazole<\/a>), strobilurins (Azoxystrobin<\/a> and Pyraclostrobin<\/a>), amides (Boscalid<\/a> and Metalaxyl<\/a>), and the benzimidazole Carbendazim<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The participants were recruited through the Person-to-Person (P2P) Health Interview study cohort at Indiana University, which was approved by the university’s Institutional Review Board. The dust, drinking water, and urine samples were all collected on the same day for each study participant, with 3 samples per participant amounting to 243 total samples. Samples were gathered between August and December of 2020 and stored at negative 20 degrees Celsius before instrumental analysis. (For more information, see \u201cInstrumental Analysis\u201d subsection on page \u201cB\u201d.)<\/p>\n

The authors are researchers based at Emory University, as well as Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement and Early Warning Technology for Urban Environmental Health Risks and College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering at Shenzhen University (China). The authors declared that there is \u201cno competing financial interest\u201d in conducting this study. In the acknowledgements, \u201c[t]he authors thank Indiana University, the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, the Shenzhen Science and Technology Program (KQTD20240729102048052), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (22206071), the Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement and Early Warning Technology for Urban Environmental Health Risks (ZDSYS20220606100604008), and High Level of Special Funds (G03050K001) for funding this project.\u201d<\/p>\n

Results<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cOur results show that indoor dust is a significant exposure pathway for most insecticides and fungicides, while herbicides are mainly consumed through drinking water,\u201d say the authors. \u201cIn addition, the toxicity equivalent factor model, incorporated with data retrieved from the ToxCast database, indicated that imidacloprid poses the greatest health risk based on its high exposure levels and toxicity.\u201d<\/p>\n

The authors also cite some additional findings of note:<\/p>\n