Abstract
BACKGROUND: In the contiguous United States, environmental justice burdens and disparities in pesticide exposure are prevalent among racial and ethnic minorities and low socioeconomic groups. Identifying the counties with high pesticide exposure and social vulnerability is essential to mitigating risk. METHODS: We created an index for pesticides commonly used in the contiguous US states from 1992 to 2019, as well as a social vulnerability index. We identified the US counties with elevated pesticide exposure and elevated social vulnerability. The USGS Pesticide National Synthesis Project quantified pesticide exposures at a county scale for frequently applied pesticides from 1992 to 2019 in 3069 contiguous US counties. We retrieved social vulnerability data from five-year estimates (2015–2019) of the American Community Survey (ACS) for selected variables: race, income, and educational attainment, and created a social vulnerability index. We implemented the pesticide index and social vulnerability index using a principal component analysis (PCA) approach. We used an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ICCP risk-based approach to identify the counties with both high pesticide exposure and social vulnerability. RESULTS: One hundred and forty-three US counties had high pesticide use and social vulnerability. Illinois, North Carolina, Michigan, California, Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, and Pennsylvania had significantly higher proportions of these high pesticide application and social vulnerability counties than any other state. In conclusion, disparities in pesticide exposure and associated health outcomes due to social vulnerability are widespread across the contiguous US counties in both rural and urban communities. CONCLUSIONS: Our study will inform regulatory bodies about areas with both high pesticide exposure and social vulnerability areas, as well as facilitate regulatory and public health decisions. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-025-25277-5.