Farm families and rural residents may be
exposed to agricultural pesticides because
their residences are adjacent to agricultural
land and this type of indirect exposure to
pesticides may be significant. Among farmers
who applied pesticides in Iowa and
North Carolina, between 40 and 50% of
farmers' homes were within 100 yards of
crop fields where pesticides were applied (8).
Many rural residents live in small towns that
are bordered by agricultural areas. Pesticidespraying
applications can result in drift
occurring at distances up to 1,000 yards
(9-11). Higher levels of pesticides in house
dust (12) and higher levels of pesticide
metabolites in children (13) were found in
homes of agricultural workers as compared
to reference homes. The proximity of the
homes to crop fields sprayed with pesticides
was associated with higher exposure levels.