Dimethoate absorption: A complementary in vitro and in vivo assessment

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Safety
• Environmental Health
• Toxicology

Background:

• Pesticide application poses risks to farm workers.
• Dimethoate is a commonly used pesticide in agriculture.
• Understanding dermal exposure is crucial for worker safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate dermal exposure (DE) of farm workers to dimethoate.
• To quantify dimethoate absorption through skin and mucosa.
• To assess the risk associated with dimethoate exposure in lemon plantation workers.

Main Methods:

• Measurement of dimethoate on workers' clothes, stratum corneum (SC), and saliva.
• In vitro permeation tests (IVPT) using rat, pig, and human skin.
• IVPT conducted on pig buccal, esophageal, and sublingual mucosas.

Main Results:

• Mean dimethoate DE was 342.19 ± 487.14 mg/d.
• SC penetration factors varied by body site (e.g., 0.5-14.81% for neck, 0.05-53.96% for arms).
• In vitro human skin absorption was 14.75%, significantly lower than the default 70%.

Conclusions:

• Dimethoate exposure poses a significant risk to farm workers, particularly in family farming settings.
• Inadequate protective clothing drastically increases worker vulnerability.
• The study underscores the need for improved safety protocols and appropriate PPE during pesticide application.