Nutritional and health status and pesticide exposure of farmworkers’ children in Tulare County (California) 1969

The nutritional status of 191 rural, low‐income subjects from the Porterville‐Woodville area of Tulare County, California, was surveyed in 1969 at the request of, and in collaboration with, the medical staff of Salud Medical Clinic, Woodville, California. For comparative purposes, 28 middle‐income children from the city of Visalia were also studied. The results indicate that dietary intake was adequate for most nutrients, with the exception of iron. However, a high incidence of microcytosis and low or deficient serum folate levels was observed along with a high prevalence of short stature. Evidence suggestive of organophosphate pesticide exposure was found in the low plasma cholinesterase activity of a number of children. The levels of DDT and DDE in serum were also found to be respectively twice and three times the mean values reported for non‐exposed adult males.

Key words:

• Nutritional status
• children
• poverty
• cholinesterase
• stunting
• pesticides
• DDT
• rural California