Determination of dermal exposure of operator in greenhouse spraying

The objective of this study was to determine of dermal operator exposure by patch method of fungicide sprayed in tomato greenhouse. In this study, the patch method was used for determining of dermal pesticide contamination on operator in greenhouse spraying. The patches (shoulder, back, chest, upper and lower arms, thigh, lower legs, foot, ankle, hands, and mask) each measuring 10 × 10 cm2, were attached to operator. The operator sprayed distances of 200 m in greenhouse. Each trial was replicated three times. After the trials, all patches were collected and were analyzed in the laboratory. In laboratory, all chromatographic analysis was performed on gas Chromatograph equipped with electron capture detector (GC-ECD). From the results of this study, the highest pesticide residues were obtained on the left hand, foot and ankle. In addition, pesticide residues on operator's lower parts of the body were 9.205% higher than operator's upper parts of the body. The total recovery on lower and upper body were 52.197 (%) and 47.8 (%). It was concluded that operators should wear gloves and footwear for minimizing pesticide exposure when pesticide is applied with standard spray gun