Pesticide monitoring workers using

Monitoring Workers Using Pesticides Which Are Not Cholinesterase Inhibitors... 

The test substance should be stored in a locked facility at or near the test site. Most pesticide products are manufactured to withstand extreme temperatures, therefore most test substances used for re-entry and worker exposure studies may be stored under ambient conditions. One should read the label of the product carefully to discern if there are any extraordinary storage conditions required for the pesticide product. Temperatures at the test substance storage location should be monitored daily using a max/min thermometer or similar device that can record daily fluctuations of temperatures. 

In the case of pesticides which are not ChE inhibitors, exposure is measured by the analysis of blood and/or urine for the active ingredient or its metabolites. Baseline levels of pesticides and/or metabolites are not usually determined, with the exception of methyl bromide. In this case, a blood sample is taken to check for bromide ion before fumigators use the pesticide. Blood and urine tests are run only in the case of spills or other accidents to assist in identifying the cause of poisoning or to monitor workers in a workplace. Paraquat, chlorinated hydrocarbons, mercury, p-nitrophenol, and dinitrophenol are examples of pesticides or metabolites of pesticides that have been found in the urine of exposed workers. 

Number of workers Sufficient numbers of workers should be monitored during the study. Reported values should include data from at least four workers. Informed consent and appropriate human subjects review are required for studies done in California if the pesticide or the use being studied does not have full California registration. 

During the summer of 1982, the California Department of Food and Agriculture s Worker Health and Safety Unit staff monitored worker s exposure associated with the use of chlordimeform as pesticide on cotton in Imperial County, California, under a very tightly regulated exposure reduction program. Table IV gives a summary of chlordimeform (as aniline derivatives) measured in the urine of workers involved in applications of this pesticide. 

The duration of sampling and size of biological samples used to monitor pesticide exposure in farm workers... 

There are situations where close-up observations of the volunteer study participant may not be warranted. For example, during a study to determine exposure to pesticides of a group of custom applicators using biological monitoring, observing the workers may not be acceptable in order to make sure that the exposure levels are not biased by any control of the study by the investigator. 

The first pesticide exposure study was reported by Griffiths et al. (1951). Parathion was trapped on respirator filter discs during application to citrus trees. Batchelor and Walker (1954) expanded exposure monitoring to include the estimation of potential dermal exposure using pads attached to workers clothing. Durham and Wolfe (1962), in their classic review of worker exposure methodologies, also provided some experimental validation for the best available methods. 

The Department has developed methods for monitoring the exposure of workers exposed to organophosphate and carbamate pesticides. These methods utilize the determination of plasma and red blood cell cholinesterase activities and urinary alkyl phosphates. Studies are reported vrti ich show that these methods have proven useful in evaluating the safety effectiveness of closed-transfer systems and in determining reentry times for field workers. 

The Aerial Flagger. The aerial flagger, who had the highest HDE of all workers monitored, is not now commonly used in the aerial applications of pesticides to crops. Still, a flagger is sometimes used in special situations, and was therefore monitored. The flagger was the only worker that had a discernibly different exposure for different application rates. For example, the total HDE for XLR was 606 mg/h for a rate of 2 lb Al/acre and 408 mg/h for a rate of 1 lb Al/acre. 

Pesticide Action Network Asia-Pacific (PAN-AP)4 is the regional arm of PAN-International, and is co-ordinated from Kuala Lumpur. It has autonomous national branches such as those in the the Philippines and Indonesia. PAN-AP is dedicated to helping women, agricultural workers, farmers and peasants protect their health and environment, as well as ensure their safety from hazards of pesticide use. It believes that pesticides are unnecessary and harmful thus their use must be reduced if not altogether eliminated. For this reason, PAN-AP closely monitors pesticide production, trade and use. 

ELISA could potentially be used advantageously in many types of exposure and monitoring situations, for paraquat and other pesticides amenable to ELISA analysis. An obvious use of ELISA is the detection of pesticide residue levels in plant and animal tissues, or food extracts. Biological specimens such as plasma and urine currently analyzed by RIA seem particularly amenable to analysis by ELISA. Portable field kits could be developed to determine safe worker re-entry times into treated fields. Environmental samples such as soil, water, and air, can be analyzed by the ELISA. Pesticide conjugates have been proposed for skin testing of individuals suspected of sensitivity to pesticides (fi.) the ELISA could be used to detect specific antibodies in these individuals and aid in exposure studies. 

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