| A Human-Health Risk Assessment for West Nile Virus and Insecticides Used in Mosquito Management Robert K.D. Peterson, Paula A. Macedo, and Ryan S. Davis Agricultural and Biological Risk Assessment, Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA Abstract
West Nile virus (WNV) has been a major public health concern in North America since 1999, when the first outbreak in the Western Hemisphere occurred in New York City. As a result of this ongoing disease outbreak, management of mosquitoes that vector WNV throughout the United States and Canada has necessitated using insecticides in areas where they traditionally have not been used or have been used less frequently. This has resulted in concerns by the public about the risks from insecticide use. The objective of this study was to use reasonable worst-case risk assessment methodologies to evaluate human-health risks for WNV and the insecticides most commonly used to control adult mosquitoes. We evaluated documented health effects from WNV infection and determined potential population risks based on reported frequencies. We determined potential acute (1-day) and subchronic (90-day) multiroute residential exposures from each insecticide for several human subgroups during a WNV disease outbreak scenario. We then compared potential insecticide exposures to toxicologic and regulatory effect levels. Risk quotients (RQs, the ratio of exposure to toxicologic effect) were < 1.0 for all subgroups. Acute RQs ranged from 0.0004 to 0.4726, and subchronic RQs ranged from 0.00014 to 0.2074. Results from our risk assessment and the current weight of scientific evidence indicate that human-health risks from residential exposure to mosquito insecticides are low and are not likely to exceed levels of concern. Further, our results indicate that, based on human-health criteria, the risks from WNV exceed the risks from exposure to mosquito insecticides. Key words: comparative risk assessment, mosquito control, organophosphates, pesticide exposure, pyrethroids, risk analysis, vectorborne disease. Environ Health Perspect 114:366-372 (2006) . doi:10.1289/ehp.8667 available via http://dx.doi.org/ [Online 28 October 2005]
Address correspondence to R.K.D. Peterson, Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA. Telephone: (406) 994-7927. Fax: (406) 994-3933. E-mail: bpeterson@montana.edu We thank the authors of the New York City Environmental Impact Statement, whose assessment made it possible for us not to have to reinvent the wheel. This study was funded by a grant from the U.S. Armed Forces Pest Management Board's Deployed War Fighter Protection Research Program and by the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station, Montana State University. The authors declare they have no competing financial interests. Received 20 September 2005 ; accepted 28 October 2005.
Correction In the original manuscript published online, the acute air concentration for naled in Table 2 and the RQ ranges for acute inhalation exposures and acute subchronic dermal exposures were incorrect. These have been corrected here.
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