[Study on the occupational exposure limit of acetochlor in the air of workplace]

Objective: To establish occupational exposure limits for acetochlor in workplace air. Methods: In April 2021, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website was used to search for toxicity documents on acetochlor, and the toxicity data and clinical symptoms of acetochlor toxicity were collected through literature databases, to figure out the target organs of acetochlor toxicity. In February 2021, two representative production enterprises in Jiangsu Province were selected for on-site investigation. Total of 90 workers who were exposed to acetochlor were selected as the contact group, and 70 off-site workers from the same enterprise were used as the control group, and on-site occupational health investigation and occupational health examination were carried out for the included workers. Combined with the literature, the results of physical examination and EPA carcinogenic risk assessment, the occupational exposure limit of acetochlor in the workplace was determined by the formula for calculating the occupational exposure limit. Results: The main target organs of acetochlor are the liver and kidneys. The time weighted average concentration (C(TWA)) of acetochlor exposure in the exposure group was 0.009 mg/m(3)~0.044 mg/m(3), and there were no statistically significant differences in liver and renal function between the exposure group and the control group (P>0.05). When the concentration of acetochlor in the air was 0.12 mg/m(3), the non-carcinogenic risk of the working population was very low. Conclusion: The occupational exposure limit of acetochlor was set at 0.12 mg/m(3). The safety of the standard limit conforms to the relevant requirements of toxicology and occupational disease epidemiology, and also conforms to the existing economic and technological level in China, and is highly feasible.