Wt. Sanderson et al., EXPOSURE OF COMMERCIAL PESTICIDE APPLICATORS TO THE HERBICIDE ALACHLOR, American Industrial Hygiene Association journal, 56(9), 1995, pp. 890-897
Presented in this paper are the results of a pilot study to estimate t
he alachlor inhalation (2-chloro-2',6'-diethyl-N- [methoxymethyl] acet
anilide) and skin exposures of commercial pesticide applicators, who a
pply a variety of herbicides and insecticides to crop land. Twenty app
licators and seven hauler-mixers participated in the study. Inhalation
exposures ranged from 0.32 to 6.4 mu g/m(3) with a geometric mean of
1.6 mu g/m(3). Alachlor deposition on clothing patches was highly vari
able, ranging from <0.01 to 32.0 mu g/cm(2). The thigh patches general
ly received more deposition than patches in other areas. Surface-wipe
and hand- and glove-wash samples also indicated that the hands frequen
tly were exposed; alachlor concentrations in postshift handwash sample
s ranged from 3 to 324 mu g/sample. The results of the study indicate
that commercial pesticide applicators encounter substantial exposures
to alachlor and that proper precautions for reducing exposures are not
always followed. Practical steps, in particular The use of good work
practices, may be taken to reduce exposures in this population.