The Cooperative Extension Service referred a Jasper County
homeowner to Dr. Schuman for consultation on her chronic exposure to chlorpyrifos.
Her slab home was treated for termites five years ago with this organophosphate
insecticide.
This 56-year-old woman reported that she started having
‘odd symptoms’ shortly after the application. She believed that her chronic
exposure to chlorpyrifos was responsible for an array of health problems that
included allergies and breast cancer that was diagnosed last year. She had been
reading about environmental toxins and had seen several television shows on
this subject. She was convinced that the termite treatment was responsible for
her illness.
She asked, “Where can I go to be tested for pesticide
allergy?” Dr. Schuman explained that there were no credible laboratory tests presently
available for allergy to chlorpyrifos as well as for most other pesticides and
other chemicals. He discussed low dose exposure to pesticides and the lack of
scientific evidence associating chlorpyrifos and other currently used
pesticides with long term health effects.
During their conversation Dr. Schuman learned that she
did not have a family physician, and other than being treated by her
oncologist, had not seen a physician for several years. He referred her to an Agromedicine Program Consulting
Physician who would evaluate her and place her concerns over environmental toxins
in perspective with her medical history.
DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY MEDICINE – DIVISION OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND PUBLIC SERVICE
MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 171 ASHLEY AVENUE, CHARLESTON, SC 29425-2217