Detection of Organophosphate Pesticides in Blood Serum from the Patients Suspected of Acute and Chronic Pesticides Poisonings and Its Clinical Significance

Abstract

A simple and rapid method was presented for qualitative and quantitative analysis of organophosphate pesticides in human blood serum, which employs a gas chromatograph fitted with flame thermionic detector. Serum samples from 14 out of 20 patients suspected of chronic organophosphate pesticide poisoning showed peaks corresponding to ethylparathion, sumithion, and/or malathion on gas chromatography. All 15 cases of acute pesticides poisoning examined were shown to contain one, two or three kinds of organophosphate pesticides, namely ethylparathion, sumithion, malathion and/or salithion in their blood serum. On the other hand, no organophsphate pesticide was detected in the sera from control cases. Thus, detection of organophosphate pesticides in the serum contributes much to the diagnosis of poisoning from such chemicals.