Pesticide Exposure Estimation across Census Tracts in Washington State: Identifying Vulnerable Areas and Populations

INTRODUCTION: Disparities in exposure to and harm
associated with pesticides are established. However, high resolution
spatial data on exposure to pesticides are lacking. PURPOSE: To describe the development of a pesticide metric for Washington
State and to evaluate the associations between pesticide exposure
and sociodemographic characteristics of census tracts. METHODS: We used the US cropland data set to quantify the location and size
of agricultural land. These data were overlaid with state- and county-level
estimated annual agricultural pesticide use to estimate pesticide
exposure at the census tract level. Sociodemographic characteristics
of census tracts were from the US Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention’s Social Vulnerability Index (SVI). Generalized
additive models evaluated the associations between pesticide exposure
and each of the SVI variables. RESULTS: The median exposure
to pesticides was 1.5 lbs/sq mi. Significant associations were observed
between exposure to pesticides and a higher percentage of population
below poverty, populations unemployed, populations 65 and older, non-Hispanic
white populations, those with limited English language proficiency,
mobile homes, and group quarters. CONCLUSIONS: The results
inform public health and policy efforts to identify areas and populations
that are most vulnerable to pesticide exposure and improve the health
and well-being of farmworkers and populations residing near agricultural
areas.