Farmworker children are exposed to higher levels of pesticides than other children, because of their proximity to pesticide applications on nearby fields and because of the take home exposures of their parents. We propose to develop sustainable interventions that are aimed at primary prevention, i.e., to reduce pesticide exposure to farmworker children. Based on a needs assessment conducted by our Community partners (SCORE) in the Selinas Valley in California, we focus our intervention on the reduction of exposure in the home. The 'Healthy Home' model developed initially to reduce children's household exposure to lead and allergens has not previously been applied to the reduction of household pesticide exposure. One hundred and fourteen 6 month old children of farmworkers and their families residing in the township of Salinas will be randomly allocated to one of three intervention groups: Level 0, no intervention; Level I, pesticide-reduction eduction, home environmental assessment, deep cleaning of home, and provision of cleaning supplies and storage containers for work clothing; and Level II, Level I plus off site laundering of work clothes. The interventions will be conducted from the time the child is 6 months to 12 months old. A reduction in the measurement of pesticides in house dust and of pesticide metabolites in the urine of the children from baseline to 6 months later (when the child is 12 months old) will indicate the efficacy of the interventions. A maintained reduction 12 months after the termination of the trial (when the child is 24 months old) will indicate a sustained effect of the intervention. To maximize the sustainability of the intervention, we will work collaboratively with our Community partners, local and state authorities, and with the community clinics serving this population. We will develop a manual and other education materials to enable this and other agricultural communities to replicate the project. We will also work with local and State authorities, and advocacy and community groups to incorporate the results of the intervention into appropriate policy changes.
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