Pyrethroid insecticides: advances and challenges in biomonitoring

Pyrethroid insecticides have a wide variety of applications throughout the world. They are structurally diverse chemicals that are synthetically derived from naturally occurring pyrethrin insecticides. Significant advances in analytical chemistry have led to the development of biomarkers of exposure to pyrethroids, and these methods are currently being applied to study exposure in the general population. This article reviews the chemistry and toxicology of pyrethroid insecticides, with an emphasis on the development of biomarkers to assess environmental exposure. Future challenges in the application of these biomarkers in epidemiological studies are explored, as is a need for improved understanding of the toxicokinetics of pyrethroids in humans.