Project Timeframe: 2003

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the California Department of Health Services (now the California Department of Public Health) initiated a study on the pesticide levels in women living in Imperial County. The study collected urine samples from 100 women aged 18 to 45 years who live in agricultural areas, but who did not work with pesticides. The women were recruited from patients who visited health clinics for non-pesticide reasons over a two-week period. Each woman was found to have had at least five pesticides or pesticide metabolites in her urine. While the levels found were lower than those known to cause health problems, these levels were higher than those found in women in the general U.S. population. In addition to assistance with the study, IAI staff developed and designed the study reporting materials for participants and facilitated coordination with local health officials to present the study to the community.