Biological monitoring of deltamethrin exposure in greenhouses

This study examined the possibility of using biological monitoring to assess deltamethrin exposure among greenhouse workers. The synthetic pyrethroid deltamethrin was sprayed in five greenhouses by cold fog generators, and the exposure was biologically monitored by analysing the concentration of its metabolite, 3-phenoxybenzoic acid, by a gas chromatographic method after derivatization with pentafluorobenzyl bromide. 3-Phenoxybenzoic acid was found in the urine of two of the ten workers studied. The urine concentration of the metabolite varied from 2.4 to 51.7 μg/l. These results show that 3-phenoxybenzoic acid is suitable for biological monitoring for the assessment of exposure to deltamethrin.