ENVIRONMENTAL AND BIOLOGICAL MONITORING OF EXPOSURE TO MANCOZEB, ETHYLENETHIOUREA, AND DIMETHOATE DURING INDUSTRIAL FORMULATION

The results of environmental (11 subjects) and biological (57 subjects ) monitoring of exposure to mancozeb, ethylenethiourea (ETU), and dime thoate are reported for employees of a firm producing commercial formu lations containing these active ingredients. Urinary excretion [GM(GSD )] of ETU (mu g/g creatinine) and alkylphosphates [dimethylphosphate ( DMP) + dimethylthiophosphate (DMTP) + dimethyldithiophosphate (DMDTP)] (nmol/g creatinine) was 65.3(4.8) and 419.2(2.1), respectively, for e mployees engaged in the formulation of a product containing 80% mancoz eb (n = 9), 36.6(1.9) and 296.4(2.4) for those formulating a product c ontaining 35% mancozeb (n = 9), 9.5(6.1) and 1022.4(3.0) for those eng aged in plant maintenance and internal transport of materials (n = 6), 10.3(4.2) and 322.8(3.3) for those engaged in packaging the mancozeb formulations (n = 16), 4.4(3.3) and 2545.4(3.9) for those formulating a product containing 40% dimethoate (n = 11), and 3.0(2.7) and 871.7(3 .3) for those bottling the same dimethoate formulation (n = 10). Air c oncentrations (mu g/m(3)) ranged from 25.3 to 194.4 for dimethoate, fr om 0.2 to 1.3 for ETU, and from 139.9 to 949.0 for mancozeb. Urinary e xcretion of ETU and alkylphosphates showed a significant correlation w ith mancozeb (r(2) = .971), and ETU (r(2) = .858), and dimethoate (r(2 ) = .955) contamination of the hands. Potential dose estimates showed that the potential respiratory doses of mancozeb and dimethoate accoun ted, on the average, for 38% of the total potential dose. The potentia l respiratory dose of ETU was 7% of the total potential dose. Total es timated absorption did not exceed the accepted daily dose (ADI) for ET U and mancozeb, but the ADI for dimethoate was exceeded. Serum and ery throcyte cholinesterase activities in workers formulating dimethoate p roducts were not significantly different before and after exposure.