• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.30
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• pp.9.1-9.5
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• 2015

Objectives Pyrethroid pesticides are among the most commonly using insecticides in South Korean households and have been the subject of considerable interest among public health professionals for their potential health effects. The objective of this study is to examine the level of urinary 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA) among elementary students in South Korea. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study to evaluate pyrethroid pesticide exposure levels by measuring the urinary metabolites of 3-PBA using a gas chromatographymass spectrometry method in March 2011. Study participants were 70 Asan-area and Incheon-area elementary students. Results All respondents had values above the detection limit, and the geometric means of 3-PBA in all children were $1.85{\mu}g/L$ and $1.46{\mu}g/g$ creatinine. Children with the top 10% urinary levels of 3-PBA were more likely to be girls, under nine years of age, living in a rural area, and living in a residential type apartment. Conclusions South Korean children have a higher concentration of urinary 3-PBA compared with those of other countries. Further research identifying exposure pathways and intervention efforts to reduce environmental pesticide use are needed in South Korea.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.87-94
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• 2007

Pyrethroid insecticide have widely been used for agricultural sector and residential environments. To assess the exposure of insecticide which is absorbed through skin the analysis of urinary metabolite is essential. At present, the urinary 3-PBA was analyzed using liquid-phase extraction. But LPE have many limitations, such as long pre-treatment time and low recovery. So, this study was conducted to determine the optimum conditions for analysing 3-PBA in urine using solid phase extraction. Furthermore, this study intend to investigate the relation of concentrations of pyrethroid, deltamethrin in air and 3-PBA in urine. The optimum condition for hydrolysis was found to be done with hydrochloric acid for one hour. The recovery rates of 3-PBA were $84.6%{\pm}1.2%$, $54.8{\pm}0.9%$, $99.8{\pm}1.2%$ with XAD-2, XAD-7, XAD-16 using as the aborbents and acetone as eluents respectively. But acetonitrle and methanol gave low recovery rate and methyl cellosolve could not elute the compound. The amount of acetone for elution were 6mL, 9mL, 3mL for XAD-2, XAD-7, XAD-16 as absorbents respectively. The non-absorbed rates was $0.8{\pm}0.5%$, and $0.7{\pm}0.3%$ under XAD-16, mesh size 140-200, amount of resin 1.4g and the flow rate of eluent was 0.1mL/min. In the concentration process, we obtained 11 times higher concentration of material. The amounts of urinary 3-PBA were. The LODs of 3-PBA and deltamethrin were 0.004 mg/L, 0.038 mg/L, respectively. The further research of minute monitoring which include spray pattern, environmental condition is needed And more research about the relation between total pyrethroid exposure and urinary various metabolite are also necessary.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.293-298
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• 2017

BACKGROUND: Pyrethroids (PYRs) are a widely used insecticide in agriculture and household area. In mammals, PYRs such as deltamethrin is metabolized to 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA) in liver that is mainly excreted in urine. This study is designed to single exposure of deltamethrin to rats in a dose-dependent manner and identify the correlation between deltamethrin exposure and its metabolite (3-PBA) in urine. METHODS AND RESULTS: Exposure levels of deltamethrin were control (0 mg/kg bw), low (0.0705 mg/kg bw), medium (0.705 mg/kg bw) and high (7.05 mg/kg bw) dose. Low concentration was derived by ussing Korea predictive operator exposure model (KoPOEM). Dermal exposure persisted for 6 h, and urine specimens were collected for 24 h. The urine matrix was removed after a series of procedures and 3-PBA was analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. CONCLUSION: There was a strong correlation ($R^2=0.83$) between the amount of oral exposure to delta me thrin and urinary levelof3-PBAexcreted. In dermal exposure groups of deltamethrin except high-dose, also there was a good correlation between urinary 3-PBA and deltamethrin exposure, but not stronger than in oral deltamethrin exposure groups. Based on these results, therefore, the amount of 3-PBA in urine can be used as a good monitoring indicator that reflexing the exposure level of deltamethrin to human body.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.30
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• pp.2.1-2.9
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• 2015

Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the association between presence of depression symptoms and the exposure level to insecticides among aged population in rural area, determined via measured levels of urinary 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA), after controlling for socioeconomic confounding factors. Methods Using a cross-sectional study design, we randomly recruited participants for our study (161 male and 239 female) from rural areas of Asan, Chungnam, Korea. Environmental risk factor exposure was assessed using a questionnaire, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to analyze urinary 3-PBA levels. We used a logistic regression analysis to assess the association of urinary 3-PBA levels with the presence of self-reported depression symptoms. Results After controlling for creatinine levels, the median (interquartile range) concentration of 3-PBA was approximately 1.5 times (p<0.05) higher among female (1.54 [0.90 to 2.35]) ${\mu}g/g$) than among male (1.06 [0.64 to 1.81] ${\mu}g/g$). Our study found that among female participants, the unit increase in 3-PBA levels exhibited a likely positive association (odds ratio, 1.12; 95% confidence interval, 1.00 to 1.25) with an increased risk of presence of self-reported depression symptoms, after adjusting for socioeconomic insurance type, daily physical condition, marital status, smoking status, and age. Conclusions Given our finding of a potential association between the presence of self-reported depression symptoms and 3-PBA levels, precautions should be considered to minimize exposure to insecticides and thus protect the health of aged residents in rural areas.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.96-105
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• 2022

Background: Pyrethroid insecticides account for more than 30% of the global insecticide market and are frequently used in agricultural settings and residential and public pest control among the general population. While several animal studies have suggested that exposure to pyrethroids can alter glucose homeostasis, there is only limited evidence of the association between environmental pyrethroid exposure and diabetes in humans. Objectives: This study aimed to report environmental 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA) concentrations in urine and evaluate its association with the risk of diabetes in Korean adults. Methods: We analyzed data from the Korean National Environmental Health Survey (KoNEHS) Cycle 2 (2012~2014) and Cycle 3 (2015~2017). A total of 10,123 participants aged ≥19 years were included. Multiple logistic regressions were used to calculate the odds ratios (ORs) for diabetes according to log-transformed urinary 3-PBA levels. We also evaluated age, sex, education, monthly income, marital status, alcohol drinking, physical activity, urinary cotinine, body mass index, and sampling season as potential effect modifiers of these associations. Results: After adjusting for all the covariates, we found significant dose-response relationships between urinary 3-PBA as quartile and the prevalence of diabetes in pooled data of KoNEHS Cycles 2 and 3. In subgroup analyses, the adverse effects of pyrethroid exposure on diabetes were significantly stronger among those aged 19~39 years (p-interaction<0.001) and those who consumed high levels of cotinine (p-interaction=0.020). Conclusions: Our findings highlight the potential diabetes risk of environmental exposure to pyrethroids and should be confirmed in large prospective studies in different populations in the future.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.280-297
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• 2017

Objectives: We assessed pesticide exposure levels according to cultivation and crop type and investigated agricultural factors related to exposure. Methods: The participants, 341 male and 127 female farmers, were divided into three groups by cultivation crop type: chili greenhouse, cucumber greenhouse, and orchard. We collected questionnaires, socioeconomic characteristics and agricultural factors, and spot urine. Pesticide exposure was examined using four organophosphate and four pyrethroids urinary metabolites: dimethylphosphate, dimethylthiophosphate, diethylphosphate, diethylthiophosphate, Cis and Trans-3-(2-2dichlorovinyl)-2, 2-dimethylcyclopropane carboxylic acid, 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA), Cis-3-(2-2dibrmovinyl)-2, and 2-dimethylcyclopropane carboxylic acid. Each metabolite was summed ${\Sigma}DAP$ and ${\Sigma}PY$ according to the chemical class. Results: Urinary metabolite detection rates and concentrations were similar between the greenhouse groups, but the orchard group was different. Similar 3-PBA detection rates were found in the three groups, but the geometric mean was very high in the orchard group compared to the two greenhouse groups. 3-PBA concentration in the orchard group was $4.11{\mu}g/g$ creatinine; the chili and cucumber greenhouse groups were 1.27 and $1.16{\mu}g/g$ creatinine, respectively. ${\Sigma}DAP$ was significantly associated with cultivation crop type and seasonal variation, but ${\Sigma}PY$ was not relevant. Conclusions: Our results suggest that cultivation and crop type may be correlated with different pesticide types and exposure levels. Furthermore, seasonal factors were related as potential factors influencing the level of organophosphate metabolites, but not for pyrethroid metabolites.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.41-47
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• 2014

This study was performed to evaluate the exposure level of organophosphorus and pyrethroid pesticide to floriculture workers and florists. The urinary dialkylphosphates, metabolites of organophosphorus insecticides, including dimethylphosphate (DMP), diethylphosphate (DEP), dimethylthiophosphate (DMTP), diethylthiophosphate(DETP) and pyrethroids of metabolites, cis/trans DCCA, DBCA, and 3-PBA were analysed to evaluate the exposure of organophosphorus and pyrethroid pesticide to floriculture workers and florists. The concentration of DMP is highest in floriculture workers. but the concentration of DETP is highest in retail florist. The concentration of 3-PBA is highest in floriculture workers. The amount of organophosphorus and pyrethroid pesticide expusure is highest in flower workers, wholesale florist and retail florists are followed. The management for reducing pesticide exposure to floriculture workers and wholesale florist is required.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.391-401
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• 2017

This study was conducted to evaluate the relationships between exposure level to pyrethroid pesticide and wearing of protective equipment in 194 Chung-nam orchard male farmers. The urinary metabolites of pyrethroid pesticides, including Cis, Trans, DBCA, and 3-PBA, were analyzed by GC/MSD. As a result of this study, the detection rate and exposure level of 3-PBA was the highest among pyrethroid metabolites discovered by orchard farmers. As a result of analyzing the actual conditions of wearing protective equipment by the subjects of this study, the rate of agricultural farmers who wore four pieces of protective equipment compared to agricultural farmers wearing a single piece of protective clothing was as high as 35.1%. Pyrethroid exposure levels were low when farmers wore more personal protective equipment (PPE). In conclusion, training with regards to pesticide hazards and protective equipment for farmers who spray pesticides will help reduce pesticide exposure levels.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.245-258
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• 2021

Objectives: In many previous studies, endocrine disruptors (EDCs) have been found to affect delays in puberty. Various EDCs have been reported on, but there have been only limited epidemiologic studies on the effects of exposure to environmental heavy metals and pyrethroid pesticides on puberty delay. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the association of exposure to environmental mercury, cadmium, and pyrethroid pesticides with delayed puberty in children based on national survey data that represents Korean children. Methods: We selected 450 children at the ages of 9-11 years old from the third Korean National Environmental Health Survey (3rd KoNEHS). The relations of urinary Hg, Cd, and 3-PBA with pubertal development were evaluated using multiple logistic regression analyses. Results: Urinary Hg levels were significantly associated with delayed puberty in boys [testicle development: OR=0.41 (95% CI: 0.20, 0.84); genitalia development: OR=0.35 (95% CI: 0.15, 0.81)]. Girls with higher Hg levels were more likely to experience delayed menarche [OR=0.23 (95% CI: 0.06, 0.90)]. We observed a significant 49% reduction in odds for menarche per increasing unit of urinary cadmium levels [OR=0.51 (95% CI: 0.24, 1.01)]. In addition, urinary 3-PBA showed a negative association with genitalia development in boys and menarche in girls [genitalia development: OR=0.73 (95% CI: 0.55, 0.96); menarche: OR=0.56 (95% CI: 0.32, 1.00)]. Conclusions: The results of this study support the hypothesis that exposure to environmental mercury, cadmium and pyrethroid pesticides may affect puberty delays. Additional evidence needs to be obtained through further prospective studies.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.572-580
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• 2018

Objectives: Human biomonitoring (HBM) is a measurement of the chemicals and their metabolites in human biological samples and has been successfully employed to determine the exposure levels of environmental chemicals. In this study, we analyzed seasonal variations of the blood or urinary levels of chemicals, and assessed that these differences could affect the results of association study. Methods: The Korea National Environmental Health Survey (KoNEHS) is a nationwide survey that analyzes exposure levels of environmental pollutants, 19 kinds of chemicals including heavy metals and organic chemicals, and the exposure factors in the general population. Based on KoNEHS data, we analyzed the levels of chemicals concentrations over the total survey period (2012-2014) and each season, and assessed the association of thyroid measures with phthalate metabolite and BPA. Results: Exposure levels of blood mercury and lead were lower in summer compare to winter. Bisphenol A and PAHs metabolites were higher in spring and summer, but lower in autumn. VOCs metabolites were generally lower in summer and autumn. Phthalate metabolites were higher in all other seasons than in winter. Pyrethroid metabolite, 3-PBA, was higher in summer and autumn. Regarding seasonal variation of chemical exposures, the statistical significance and size of effects between thyroid measures and phthalate and BPA were changed with season. Conclusion: Seasonal variations of chemical exposure and health outcome should be considered for interpreting biomonitoring results from a public health context.