Estimation of dermal exposure to pesticides and its use in risk assessment.

The potential risks to humans resulting from the usage of a pesticide must be carefully assessed before the product is registered. One of the components in the risk assessment is the determination of the amount of pesticide to which the applicator is exposed. Traditional methods estimated dermal exposure by measuring the amount of pesticide deposited on absorbent patches worn on the applicator's body. A more recent approach consists of measuring urinary metabolite levels. A review of data obtained in humans and in rats suggests that the urinary concentration of dimethyl thiophosphate is a good indicator of dermal exposure to azinphos-methyl.