Annals of Occupational Hygiene Advance Access originally published online on February 9, 2005
Annals of Occupational Hygiene 2005 49(5):415-422; doi:10.1093/annhyg/meh106
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© 2005 British Occupational Hygiene Society Published by Oxford University Press
Original Article |
Worker Exposures to Triclopyr: Risk Assessment Through Measurements in Urine Samples
1 Chaire en analyse des risques toxicologiques pour l'humain and Département de santé environnementale et santé au travail, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Montréal, P.O. Box 6128, Main Station, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3C 3J7; 2 Département de Mathématiques et de Statistique and Centre de Recherches Mathématiques, Faculté des arts et des sciences, Université de Montréal, P.O. Box 6128, Main Station, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3C 3J7
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +1 514 343 6111 ext. 3108; fax: +1 514 343 2200; e-mail: gaetan.carrier{at}umontreal.ca
In the province of Quebec (Canada), the phytocide Garlon 4®, whose active ingredient is triclopyr, is often used to prevent trees from reaching electrical conductors. The object of this paper is to assess the potential health risks in workers coming into contact with Garlon 4®. Ten workers collected their urine during the 22 h following the beginning of a work shift. Measured urinary amounts of triclopyr varied between 1 and 13 mg. The absorbed daily doses were estimated from the amounts of triclopyr in urine through the use of a kinetic model that links the rates of triclopyr elimination to absorbed doses. These estimated doses were compared with the no-observed-effect level (NOEL) observed in rats: 5 mg per kg of body weight. The upper-bound estimations of the worker's daily absorbed doses were found to be 13.3% or less of the rat NOEL.
Keywords: biomonitoring • Garlon 4® • health risk assessment • occupational exposure • triclopyr