A 10-month prospective study of organophosphorus pesticide exposure and neurobehavioral performance among adolescents in Egypt

Chlorpyrifos is an organophosphorus (OP) pesticide widely used around the world for agricultural operations. Although studies have examined exposure in children, there is limited information on adolescents who are occupationally exposed. Furthermore, there is limited research addressing the change in exposure patterns and outcomes across the application season. The goal of the current study was to examine the impact of chlorpyrifos exposure on neurobehavioral performance in adolescents before, during and after the application season. The longitudinal study was conducted in Egypt from April 2010 to January 2011, quantifying exposure and neurobehavioral performance with repeated measures prior to, during, and following the application period. At each test session, participants completed a neurobehavioral test battery and urine was collected for analysis of the chlorpyrifos metabolite 3,5,6-trichloro-2 pyridinol (TCPy) (biomarker of exposure). Cumulative urinary TCPy over the study period was used to classify participants into low (