BODY MASS INDEX AND BROMOXYNIL EXPOSURE IN A SAMPLE OF RURAL RESIDENTS DURING SPRING HERBICIDE APPLICATION

Bromoxynil (3,5-dibromo-4-hydroxybenzonitrile), a phenolic herbicide, is widely used in production of cereals and other crops. Little is known, however, about bromoxynil exposure in humans. Results of previous research suggest a longer residence time in the body for bromoxynil compared to phenoxy herbicides [e.g., (2,4-dichlorophenoxy)acetic acid (2,4-D), 4-chloro-2-methylphenoxyacetic acid (MCPA)] and that bromoxynil would tend to partition into fatty tissue more so than 2,4-D. In previous research, body mass index (BMI) was found to be an independent predictor of plasma concentrations of 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethylene (DDE), the persistent lipophilic metabolite of the chlorinated pesticide bis(4-chlorophenyl)-1,1,1-trichloroethane (DDT). As part of the Prairie Ecosystem Study, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis was used to measure concentrations of bromoxynil and seven other herbicides (2,4-D, dicamba, fenoxaprop, MCPA, ethalfluralin, triallate, and trifluralin) in plasma from r...