• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.271-279
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• 2016

To evaluate exposure characteristics of the insecticide imidacloprid to apple orchard workers during treatment on orchard fields and evaluate its potential risk using a whole body dosimetry (WBD) method, 1,000-time diluted acephate+imidacloprid 25(20+5)% solutions were sprayed on 10 apple orchard fields in Cheongju with a speed sprayer at a rate of 3,000 L/ha/person, after put on clothes such as inner/outer clothes, personal air pump with a IOM sampler, nitrile glove and mask. Exposure test included mixing, loading and application steps. The test pesticide imidacloprid residues in the collected samples were analyzed with a HPLC-DAD. Recoveries ranged from 81.5 to 108.6% for analytical method validation and from 73.8 to 86.7% for field recovery. Total exposed amounts to mixer/loader and applicator were found to be 0.0014-0.0279% of total applied active ingredient of imidacloprid. Glove exposure of both mixer/loader and applicator was higher than the other parts. Margins of safety of mixer/loader and applicator were calculated to be 97-355 and 46-196, respectively, indicating that exposure risk of imidacloprid to apple orchard workers by spraying with a speed sprayer was very low.