Evaluation of Coumaphos Exposure Among Tick Eradication Workers

Objective: To evaluate both the cholinesterase monitoring program and newer field methods of determining coumaphos exposure among tick eradication workers. Methods: Measured blood cholinesterase by the Ellman and field testing methods and tested urine for chlorferon pre- and postshift; conducted per...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of occupational and environmental medicine 2010-02, Vol.52 (2), p.131-136
Main Authors: Thomas, Gregory A., Delaney, Lisa J., Mueller, Charles, Page, Elena
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Air Pollutants, Occupational - analysis
Biological and medical sciences
Cholinesterases - blood
Coumaphos - adverse effects
Coumaphos - analysis
Enzymes
Hand
Health hazards
Human exposure
Humans
Insecticides - adverse effects
Ixodidae
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Occupational Exposure - analysis
Occupational Exposure - statistics & numerical data
Occupational health
ORIGINAL ARTICLES
Parasites
Pesticides, fertilizers and other agrochemicals toxicology
Skin
Tick Control
Toxicology
Umbelliferones - urine
Workers
Young Adult
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Objective: To evaluate both the cholinesterase monitoring program and newer field methods of determining coumaphos exposure among tick eradication workers. Methods: Measured blood cholinesterase by the Ellman and field testing methods and tested urine for chlorferon pre- and postshift; conducted personal air sampling, patch sampling of clothing, and wipe sampling of hands for coumaphos. Results: Fifteen workers had normal plasma cholinesterase and acetylcholinesterase levels. No significant changes occurred pre- to postshift. High correlation was found between plasma cholinesterase and acetylcholinesterase levels by field testing and Ellman methods (r = 0.91, P < 0.01 and r = 0.63, P < 0.01, respectively). Chlorferon levels rose 4 to 6 hours after use (P < 0.01). Airborne coumaphos was detected in only one sample, in a trace amount. The majority of patch and hand wipe samples detected coumaphos. Conclusions: Dermal exposure to coumaphos resulted in significant increases in urinary metabolites of coumaphos.
ISSN:1076-2752
1536-5948
DOI:10.1097/JOM.0b013e3181cd7e80