DETERMINATION OF METABOLIC AND HYDROLYTIC PRODUCTS OF ORGANOPHOSPHORUS PESTICIDE CHEMICALS IN HUMAN BLOOD AND URINE

The procedure of St. John and Lisk for the determination of the hydrolytic metabolites of organophosphorus insecticides in cow urine has been modified for application to human blood and urine. The extracting solvent, a 1 to 1 mixture of acetonitrile and diethyl ether, resulted in an average recovery of 90, 89, and 87%, of the six dialkyl phosphates from water, urine, and blood, respectively. The interference from inorganic phosphates was eliminated by making the methyl and ethyl derivatives of the dialkyl phosphates. The use of a column packed with 20% Versamid on Gas Chrom Q allowed for the simultaneous determination of the six major metabolites of organophosphorus and thiophosphorus insecticides. The level of alkyl phosphates excreted in the urine of exposed individuals was considerably higher than in the nonexposed group. © 1969, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.