Worker exposure to ethion in Florida citrus

Dermal and respiratory exposure to ethion was determined for 17 men in eight spray crews in Florida citrus spray operations. Respiratory exposure was less than 1% of the total exposure. Hands represented 42% of the total body exposure for applicators and 76% for suppliers. At one location, suppliers exhibited a larger decrease in ChE activity than applicators. This difference appeared related to the higher mean dermal ethion exposure to suppliers. Acute symptoms of organophosphorous poisoning were not observed. The total percent/hr of the probable human dermal LD50 was very low in all cases. These data indicate a relatively low potential acute hazard to workers applying ethion with air blast equipment under the conditions of this study.