Abstract
Abstract A human intoxication incident attributed to pesticide abuse was investigated using cutting-edge analytical methodologies. An LC-ESI-MS/MS method, based on a hybrid solid-phase extraction protocol (hybrid-SPE), was applied for the detection and quantification of several pesticides and metabolites in human biological fluids. Concomitantly, an UHPLC-HRMS method was applied to investigate potential metabolites, assisted by a complementary GC-MS method to elucidate the presence of plausible pesticides co-formulants. The LC-ESI-MS/MS method exhibited acceptable mean recoveries at the lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) and three additional levels, varying from 85 to 106% for all analytes and matrices. In serum, urine, and gastric fluid samples, the suspect compounds, namely chlorpyrifos and myclobutanil, predominated. Gastric fluid samples contained the highest concentrations of chlorpyrifos (39,800 ng/mL) and myclobutanil (18,800 ng/mL), while the neonicotinoid imidacloprid was also quantified, below 30 ng/mL. Notwithstanding, the UHPLC-HRMS analysis unveiled several metabolites of chlorpyrifos and myclobutanil. In parallel, GC-MS analysis, corroborated the presence of several co-formulants in gastric fluid samples, exemplified by m- and o-xylene, and cyclohexanone. Overall, three analytical methods were implemented to elucidate the chemical causality of a human intoxication incident. The presence of suspected active substances, one additional, and several metabolites and co-formulants were documented.
Highlights
The pesticide intoxication incidents are reported worldwide and hold a significant share among human poisoning cases, especially in developing countries [1]
We present the investigation of a pesticide intoxication incident, in which an 86-year-old female was hospitalized after suspected use of pesticides’ formulations
Considering that the objective of this work is to present the findings of the specific incident, no data are presented for the rest of the active substances validated with this methodology of the analytical methods
Summary
The pesticide intoxication incidents are reported worldwide and hold a significant share among human poisoning cases, especially in developing countries [1]. It is estimated that over 150,000 people decease each year due to pesticide intoxication, despite the significant efforts toward pesticide restriction policies related to poisoning [2,3]. Suicide attempts usually by ingestion of pesticide formulations are observed, in particular, in rural communities. The main route of accidental or intentional acute pesticide poisoning is through ingestion and secondarily by inhalation of vapors. Poisoning incidents through dermal exposure to pesticides, including those with a fatal outcome, have been reported [4], but their contribution to the overall percentage is by far lower and usually occur when personal protective equipment is not at all or properly used by those involved in agricultural activities [5]. Intoxication via contaminated food consumption should not be neglected [6]
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