Determination of the herbicide diclofop in human urine

A simple and sensitive method for the gas chromatographic determination of diclofop residues in human urine is described. Recoveries of diclofop, as its methyl ester, from fortified urine were greater than 85% at 100, 50, 10 and 1 micrograms kg-1, and were similar with and without the inclusion of a hydrolytic step in the analytical method. However, a hydrolytic step was necessary for analysis of 24-h urine samples collected from a male applicator following a single exposure to diclofop-methyl during application to wheat using a tractor-pulled sprayer. Diclofop residues determined with hydrolysis were approximately double those without hydrolysis, suggesting that a significant portion of diclofop was excreted in the conjugated form.