Household insecticide use and pyrethroid levels in the United States

Pyrethroids are synthetic pesticides associated with adverse health effects in humans, but there is much we do not know about the exposures and absorption routes among the general population. This study examines if there is an association between reported household insecticide use and pyrethroid levels (urinary concentrations of 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA)) among nationally representative samples of U.S. adults aged 18+ (<i>N</i> = 7448) and children aged 6-17 (<i>N</i> = 2772) from four cross-sectional waves (2007-2014) of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The results indicate significant and positive relationships between self-reported indoor insecticide use in the prior 7 days and pyrethroid levels among adults and children. Indoor insecticide use was associated with about twice the probability of being at the 95th percentile of pyrethroid levels for adults and children in the United States. Direct exposures to household insecticides may be a meaningful and significant mechanism for pyrethroid levels among the U.S. population.