Biological Monitoring of Glyphosate Exposure among Knapsack Sprayers in Khon Kaen, Thailand

Abstract

Sprayers’ exposure to glyphosate was analyzed through detection of its biomarker in spot urine biological monitoring, and the health risk was assessed using the biomatrix model. Urine samples were collected from 15 sprayers after spraying, and the glyphosate concentration was determined by using the DLLME-HPLC method with a UV detector. The calibration curve for glyphosate was linear in the range of 0.4–100 µg/L, while the limits of detection and quantification were 0.1 µg/L and 0.4 µg/L, respectively. The human health risk was estimated using the hazard quotient (HQ) and the biomatrix of risk assessment. The internal dose ranged from 0.0001 to 0.0021 mg/kg b.w./day. The non-cancer HQ showed no potential health risk concerns (HQ < 1). The biomatrix of health risk assessment, based on urinary glyphosate concentration, exhibited a strong correlation with the health risk matrix model. This correlation was determined by considering the likelihood of exposure, calculated from the quantity of glyphosate used and the usage of personal protective equipment (r = 0.854, p < 0.001). Although low risk was observed in sprayers, proper PPE use and the application of more knowledge are required. The simplified health risk assessment can be used for easy self-assessment of risk in preventive action regarding health risk awareness among sprayers.