Evaluation of Skin and Respiratory Doses and Urinary Excretion of Alkylphosphates in Workers Exposed to Dimethoate During Treatment of Olive Trees

Abstract

This article describes a study of exposure to dimethoate during spraying of olive trees in Viterbo province in central Italy. Airborne concentrations of dimethoate were in the range 1.5 to 56.7 nmol/m(3). Total skin contamination was in the range 228.4 to 3200.7 nmol/d and averaged 96.0% +/- 3.6% of the total potential dose. Cotton garments afforded less skin protection than waterproof ones, which were in turn associated with higher skin contamination than disposable Tyvek overalls. Total potential doses and estimated absorbed doses, including their maxima, were below the acceptable daily intake of dimethoate, which is 43.6 nmol/kg body weight (b.w.). Urinary excretion of alkylphosphates was significantly higher than in the general population, increasing with exposure and usually showing a peak in the urine sample collected after treatment. Metabolite concentrations were influenced by the type of individual protection used: minimum levels were associated with the closed cabin and maximum levels with absence of any respiratory or hand protection. Urinary alkylphosphates showed a good correlation with estimated absorbed doses and are confirmed as sensitive biologic indicators of exposure to phosphoric esters.

Monitoring and Control of Exposure to Buprofezin in Greenhouses

“…Evaluation of skin exposure by means of filter paper pads and hand washing with 95% ethanol has likewise been reported in other studies [10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. The methods used to extract samples are fast and give good recovery of analyte and good precision within and between series.…”

Relationship between Urinary Pesticide Metabolites and Pest Control Operation among Occupational Pesticide Sprayers

“…However, compound-specific kinetics of inhaled pesticides was not characterized in our study. Second, our study assumed that the length of pesticide spraying time reflects the individual exposure levels, yet it lacked accurate dose evaluation, something which has been rarely investigated in occupational settings 15) . Factors such as application method, use of personal protective gear, or work practices related to hygiene influence exposure levels and appropriate exposure assessments are challenging given these complexities 27) .…”

“…Some human volunteer studies revealed a correlation between external exposure to OP or pyrethroids and biological monitoring values [11][12][13] . However, only a few studies have estimated the individual exposure amount in occupational settings [14][15][16] , where factors influencing the exposure level usually vary; highly elaborate techniques were employed in these dose evaluation studies. Because only limited data are available in Japan on the relationship between the exposure to pesticide and its metabolite concentrations in urine among PCOs [17][18][19] , we conducted a preliminary field study to examine whether the levels of urinary metabolites reflect the length of pest control operations which we consider to be a crude substitute for pesticide exposure levels.…”

Protective gloves use and work habits of non-professionals handling agricultural pesticides – a survey

“…But skin contamination may also occur due to a splash, spill or drift when handling an AP and contact with residue on application equipment, protective clothing or treated surfaces. When handling concentrated APs, hazard from skin absorption increases (Aprea et al, 2004;Lebailly et al, 2009;OECD, 2011;Fabian et al, 2012;MacFarlane et al, 2013;Fabian and Binder, 2015;Mieldazys et al, 2015).…”