Implementation and evaluation of the fluorescent tracer technique in greenhouse exposure studies

Implementation and evaluation of the fluorescent tracer technique in greenhouse exposure studies

Bierman, E.P.B.
Brouwer, D.H.
van Hemmen, J.J.
Centraal Instituut voor Voedingsonderzoek TNO

1998

Knowledge of the level of exposure is important for health risk estimation and risk management. Recently, the occurrence of dermal exposure in many situations has been recognized and estimated to be relevant for worker health. Dermal exposure measurement techniques are therefore needed and several approaches have been taken to assess this type of exposure. The purpose of the present study was to apply and evaluate the fluorescent tracer technique, being one of the most promising and innovative techniques to estimate dermal exposure. The image acquisition is fully calibrated and validated. The most significant aspects of the image analysis process are validated in laboratory settings. The system is applied in a field study to estimate dermal exposure of operators and harvesters in greenhouses, while chemical analysis of clothing exposure is also performed. For operators, the correlation coefficient between the active substance (propoxur) and the fluorescent compound (Tinopal) was 0.92, and for harvesters 0.85. It is concluded that the variability in the analytical technique used is insignificant with respect to the variability in exposure within and between workers. Instead of improving the measuring technique, one might better lower the variability by measuring, for instance, a larger number of workers and/or by standardizing work procedures. The fluorescent tracer technique, being a fast method to estimate dermal exposure, enables the estimation of larger numbers of individuals. Furthermore, the qualitative use of this technique can lead to a more efficient sampling strategy since the exposed body area to evaluate can easily be visualized and selected.

Nutrition
Air quality
Greenhouses
Health hazards
Industrial hygiene
Pesticides
Risk assessment
Dermal exposure
Fluorescent tracer technique
Occupational risks
Fluorescent dye
Propoxur
Tinopal
Tracer
Unclassified drug
Agricultural worker
Fluorescence
Greenhouse effect
Human
Image analysis
Occupational hazard
Priority journal
Protective clothing
Risk assessment
Skin irritation
Agriculture
Fluorescence
Humans
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
Occupational Exposure
Skin

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:8234da79-7d39-43f9-944d-c98847acb420

https://doi.org/10.1016/s0003-4878(98)00059-3

234619

0003-4878

Annals of Occupational Hygiene, 42 (7), 467-475

article