Pesticide Residues and Exposure

212 Pages·1982·3.277 MB·English

by  Jack R. Plimmer (Eds.)

Pesticide Residues
and Exposure
In Pesticide Residues and Exposure; Plimmer, J.;
ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1982.
In Pesticide Residues and Exposure; Plimmer, J.;
ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1982.
Pesticide Residues
and Exposure
Jack R. Plimmer, EDITOR
USDA
Base
sponsored by the Division of
Pesticide Chemistry at the
Second Chemical Congress of the
North American Continent
(180th ACS National Meeting),
Las Vegas, Nevada,
August 26-27, 1980.
182
ACS S Y M P O S I U M S E R I E S
AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
WASHINGTON, D. C. 1982
In Pesticide Residues and Exposure; Plimmer, J.;
ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1982.
Library of Congress CIP Data
Pesticide residues and exposure.
(ACS symposium series, ISSN 0097-6156 182)
"Based on a symposium sponsore
of Pesticide Chemistry at th
gress of the North American Continent (180th ACS
National Meeting), Las Vegas, Nevada, August 26-27,
1980."
Includes bibliographies and index.
1. Pesticides—Toxicology—Congresses. 2. Pesticides
—Safety measures—Congresses. 3. Agricultural labor
ers—Diseases and hygiene—Congresses. 4. Pesticide
applicators (Persons)—Disease and hygiene—Con
gresses. 5. Pesticides—Environmental aspects—Con
gresses. 6. Pesticide residues in food—Congresses.
I. Plimmer, Jack R., 1927- . II. American Chemi
cal Society. Division of Pesticide Chemistry. III.
Chemical Congress of the North American Continent
(2nd: 1980: Las Vegas, Nev.). IV. Series.
RA1270.P4P48 615.9'02 81-20568
ISBN 0-8412-0701-1 AACR2
ASCMC 8 182 1-214 1982
Copyright © 1982
American Chemical Society
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In Pesticide Residues and Exposure; Plimmer, J.;
ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1982.
ACS Symposium Series
M. Joa
Advisory Board
David L. Allara Marvin Margoshes
Robert Baker Robert Ory
Donald D. Dollberg Leon Petrakis
Robert E. Feeney Theodore Provder
Brian M. Harney Charles N. Satterfield
W. Jeffrey Howe Dennis Schuetzle
James D. Idol, Jr. Davis L. Temple, Jr.
Herbert D. Kaesz Gunter Zweig
In Pesticide Residues and Exposure; Plimmer, J.;
ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1982.
FOREWORD
The ACS SYMPOSIUM SERIES was founded in 1974 to provide
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IN CHEMISTRY SERIES except that in order to save time the
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In Pesticide Residues and Exposure; Plimmer, J.;
ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1982.
PREFACE
The symposium upon which this book is based was organized by the
Pesticide Chemistry Division to address the problem of exposure to pesti
cides. The choice of location of the symposium was the ACS National
Meeting initially planned for San Francisco, California in August 1980,
which was appropriate in view of the considerable agricultural interest
within the state. The major concerns were the problems of measurement,
monitoring, and safety in
its many implications.
An undesirable consequence of increased use of synthetic organic
pesticides is the increased potential for human exposure. Pesticide appli
cators and agricultural workers may be particularly at risk. The latter may
be required to enter previously treated fields or orchards; in this case the
problem is most acute when toxic organophosphorus compounds, such as
parathion, have been applied. The definition of safe reentry intervals has
been argued at many conferences and meetings. Many problems still re
main: How does human poisoning correlate with exposure to pesticides
and what can be done to predict when residue levels in a treated area will
no longer be harmful? Although the acute toxicity of a pesticide may be
low, will chronic exposure to low levels have adverse effects? Can workers
be effectively protected from exposure to pesticides in the field?
The chapters in this volume are concerned with exposure to pesticides
and address some of these topics. Within the United States, differences in
climate and agricultural systems are responsible for substantial differences
in the problems encountered. Rainfall, sunlight, and soil types have a con
siderable influence on the longevity and nature of pesticide residues.
California is a major agricultural state, and a number of chapters deal
with its special problems. There is concern for establishing safe levels of
foliar pesticide residues and in correlating these levels with effects in mam
mals. The use of animal models, such as the scaleless chicken, is suggested
as a procedure for estimating potential exposure during agricultural opera
tions, and the reentry problem and its implication for workers in different
regions of the country are discussed. Another group of chapters deals with
measurement of worker exposure to pesticides and its correlation with
other variables. Dermal exposure is particularly important, and this vol
ume includes studies of the usefulness of protective clothing in reducing
worker exposure.
ix
In Pesticide Residues and Exposure; Plimmer, J.;
ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1982.
I would like to thank all the authors; M. L. Leng, W. Bontoyan, and
R. Cannizzaro of the Pesticide Chemistry Division; and M. Inscoe and
M. M. Scott of the Agricultural Research Service, USDA for their help and
cooperation in preparing this volume.
JACK R. PLIMMER
USDA
Beltsville, MD 20705
November 24, 1981
χ
In Pesticide Residues and Exposure; Plimmer, J.;
ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1982.
1
Trends in Chemical Residues
Including Reentry Considerations
JACK R. PLIMMER
USDA, Organic Chemical Synthesis Laboratory, Agricultural Environmental
Quality Institute, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, MD 20705
Preface:
The development of synthetic organic pesticides passed
through an accelerated phase during the decades following World
War II. The discovery of the insecticidal activity of DDT,
lindane and the organophosphates was followed rapidly by the
introduction of carbamates and new organochlorine compounds.
The 50's witnessed the introduction and widespread utilization
of a variety of synthetic organic herbicides. The impact of
these discoveries was dramatic. Human health benefited by the
reduction of the incidence of malaria and other diseases carried
by insect vectors. The World Health Organization proposed a
campaign to control malaria in 1955 by using DDT and, by 1972,
the disease had been eradicated in 36 countries (total
population 710 million) (1). Selective herbicides eliminated
much of the hand-weeding formerly needed in crop production and,
by reducing the number of weeds that competed for water and
nutrients, made possible substantial increases in crop yield. It
also became possible to control undesirable vegetation in forests,
on rights-of-way of highways or utilities, and in industrial
areas without extensive use of hand-labor as in the past.
The production of synthetic organic pesticides increased
from an estimated 464,000 pounds in 1951 to an estimated 1.4
billion pounds in 1977 (2). Increases in production were
followed by the recognition that such increased use of synthetic
chemicals would be accompanied by extensive human and
environmental impact. Pesticide use was regulated by federal
and state governments, but continued evolution of the regulatory
position has been necessitated by increasing usage and changes
in patterns of use. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(U.S.E.P.A.), is responsible for the registration of pest
control chemicals, but many aspects of pesticide use and
handling also fall under the responsibility of a variety of
Federal and State agencies. With rapid increase in pesticide
This chapter not subject to U.S. copyright.
Published 1982 American Chemical Society
In Pesticide Residues and Exposure; Plimmer, J.;
ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1982.
2 PESTICIDE RESIDUES AND EXPOSURE
use, there has been a corresponding increase in public
attention, and public concern has often expressed itself in
legal and political action. However, in many cases there has
been inadequate information on which to base definitive
regulatory action. Data has accumulated slowly, but during the
1950's and 60's there was a major effort to develop sensitive
and selective techniques of analysis and bioassay. Routes by
which pesticides were transformed in man, plants and the
environment were elucidated. The qualitative and quantitative
aspects of dissipation of pesticides in the environment began to
be understood. During the 1970's much greater attention was
focus sed on the implications of pesticide use for human
health. Pesticide use patterns and the philosophy of pest
control have undergone evolutionary changes in response to these
developments.
Improvements in analytica
chromatograph, and the intensification of monitoring programs
revealed that organochlorine insecticides were common
contaminants of environmental samples. The level of DDT in
average U.S. inhabitants in 1973 was 2.3 - 4.0 ppm and this was
accompanied by 4.3 - 8.0 ppm of DDE, a major degradation
product. The corresponding figures for the inhabitants of India
were 16 ppm of DDT and 10 ppm of DDE (1). Usage was higher in
India than the U.S., but the presence of low levels in Eskimos,
in an area where DDT was not used, points to world-wide
distribution of residues (_3). Levels of DDT residues stored in
fat are proportional to intake, and the metabolism and excretion
of DDT by mammals is slow.
Increased levels of DDT and other organochlorine
insecticides residues in man and the environment and the
increasing appearance of resistance among insects were among
factors that contributed to change in use patterns. The
organophosphate insecticides largely replaced organochlorines
and were used on an increasing scale for control of insects in
agriculture and public health. In 1972, 10 million pounds of
parathion and 40 million pounds of methyl parathion were used
for insect control. Despite the high mammalian acute toxicity
of most organophosphates, they have been widely accepted, but
stringent safeguards are essential to assure the safety of
workers potentially exposed to these compounds.
Although organophosphates now predominate as high-use
insecticides, a variety of chemicals of other functional types
are used to control pests as herbicides, insecticides,
fungicides, fumigants, defoliants etc. Several of these are the
source of potential operational hazards that must be addressed
in terms of worker protection and the necessity for analysis of
exposure and assessment of its effects.
In Pesticide Residues and Exposure; Plimmer, J.;
ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1982.