ESTABLISHMENT OF REENTRY INTERVALS FOR

O R G A N O P H O S P H A T E - T R E A T E D COTTON FIELDS
BASED ON HUMAN DATA:
I. E T H Y L - AND METHYL PARATHION 1
G. W. WARE, D. P. MORGAN, M. D.,
BETTY J. ESTESEN, W. P. CAHILL, and D. M. WHITACRE
Department o f Entomology
University o f Arizona
Tucson, Ariz. 85721

In each of two studies, two human volunteers entered methyl or methyl-ethyl

parathion-treated cotton fields for 30-minute periods at 0, 12, 24, 48, and 72
hours after treatment; foliage residues, and skin, clothing, inhalation, and bio-
medical data were obtained. The hands are probably the greatest source of absorbed
pesticide chemical while the respiratory system is an insignificant source. Trousers
collect the largest amounts of residue but the residue on them does not necessarily
undergo absorption by the skin. There is not any evidence of plasma- or red-cell
chotinesterase depression or a detectable amount of para-nitrophenol, following
one-day, single, 30-min exposure. It is estimated that an individual can absorb up
to 6,0 milligrams of parathion from cotton 24 hours after treatment with parathion
and up to 3.0 milligrams 48 hours after such treatment, during an actual 5-hour
work day field exposure. Skin-, and clothing contamination data are inadequate
bases for evaluating hazard of possible parathion poisoning. Far more useful are
measurements of serum parathion, serum-, and cell cholinesterase activities, and urin-
ary excretion of para-nitrophenol in exposed individuals.

Introduction
The term "reentry interval" is the waiting period required to protect field workers
from possible poisoning when they reenter pesticide-treated fields. The establishment
of reentry intervals is complicated by the many parameters involved: the crop, l) fre-
quency and rate of required pesticide application, 2) foliage characteristics, 3) height,
4) canopy density, and 5) weather conditions; the pesticide chemical, 1)formulation (in-
cluding combinations), 2) persistence, 3) dermal-penetrance characteristics for humans,
and 4) toxicity for humans; the worker, 1) contact with residues, 2) length of exposure time,
3) clothing, and 4) respiratory protection.

IContribution to Regional Project W-45, "Residues of Selected Pesticides-Their Nature, Distribution,

and Persistence in Plants, Animals and the Physical Environment." University of Arizona Agricultural
Experiment Station journal series, number 1983.

48

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology,

Voi. 1,No. 1, 1973,© 1973 by
Springer-Verla~ New York Inc.
 Reentry Intervals for Organophosphate-Treated Cotton Fields 49

Bailey (1972) suggests the following general criteria for establishing reentry times into
pesticide-treated crops: 1) dermal toxicity, 2) persistence, 3) worker exposure, 4) fre-
quency of occupational poisoning cases, 5) formulation and concentration, 6) crop,
7) amount of active ingredient applied per acre, 8) application frequency, and 9) com-
bination of pesticide chemicals used. Essentially, the reentry interval must be long enough
to protect the worker while short enough to be tenable with essential agricultural practices.

In maturing cotton, three types of workers are particularly subject to occupational

hazards from contact with removable pesticide chemical residues: cotton checkers or
scouts, hoe crews, and cotton scientists. Cotton scouts (by reason of their movement
through cotton foliage, in field after field, for up to 10 hours of intermittent exposure
per day, approaching 40 hours per week) are of principal concern in establishing safe re-
entry intervals for cotton.

Barnes et aL (1967) report cholinesterase measurements on cotton scouts, supervisors,

aerial applicators, ground crews, and plant workers. Quinby et al. (1958) give data ob-
tained for cotton scouts exposed to organophosphorus residues on cotton in Mississippi.

Since there was an inadequacy of reentry information pertaining to irrigated cotton

in the Southwest, the following human field-exposure experiments were developed.
Protection and safety of cotton scouts was the basis of these experiments, which ex-
amined pesticide persistence and worker exposure in this specific work situation.

Experimental
Two studies were conducted in cotton fields treated with commonly used dosages of
parathion (O, O-diethyl O, p-nitrophenyl phosphorothioate) to determine 1) the initial
leaf-surface residues, 2) rates of disappearance of such residues, 3) the level of pesticide
chemical retention on clothing of persons entering the fields for short intervals, 4) amounts
adhering to hands in the course of assessing insect prevalence and damage, and 5) respira-
tory exposure, blood parathion, urinary para-nitrophenol (PNP) excretion and blood
cholinesterase (ChE) level of exposed subjects.

Reentry I. The first study was made immediately following the aerial application of
methyl parathion (O, O-dimethyl O - p nitrophenyl phosphorothioate) (1 lb/acre) and
toxaphene (mixture of polychlorocamphenes) 4 lb/acre), applied at the rate of five
gallons of spray per acre, on August 21, 1971, to all cotton fields on the University
of Arizona Farm at Marana, Arizona. The cotton was maturing, varied in height from
36 inches to 72 inches and planted in 40-inch rows. The canopy foliage was dense and
overlapping, making walking difficult.

Three minutes after the pesticide application, two men (subject A and subject B)
entered the field for 30 minutes, dressed and equipped to secure the above-mentioned
50 G.W. Ware et al.

exposure data while collecting a total of four 100-leaf canopy samples and four 100-leaf
bottom samples. They wore new, twice-laundered T-shirts and blue-jeans, portable air
samplers with air-entrance port located just below chin level and operating at 0.1 ft 3/min,
and gauze patches (3 in. x 2.5 in.) taped onto the shins, thighs, hips of the trousers, and
the unprotected forearms. At the end of the sample collection period, their hands were
washed with 250 milliliters of hexane, patches were removed and bottled, and their
clothing was removed and placed in polyethylene bags. The same sampling procedures were
repeated four hours after pesticide application. Rain, which fell shortly after the collec-
tion of the 4 - h o u r samples, prevented additional sampling.

Twelve one-foot-square, on-target aluminum foils, mounted on corrugated card-

board, were placed randomly, in a horizontal position, on the canopy during pesticide
application to determine the amount of spray reaching the cotton. These foils were re-
moved from the cardboard, folded, and placed individually in pint jars, preparatory to
analysis.

Reentry II. The second study was started on September 7, 1971, with early-morning
aerial application of 0.5 pounds methyl- plus 0.5 pounds ethyl parathion, and two pounds
toxaphene, in five gallons of spray, per acre. The cotton was mature, with some bolls be-
ginning to open, and varied in height from 40 inches to 65 inches. Ten minutes after
application, the same two men involved in Reentry I (above) entered the field, for 30
minutes, dressed as described above (but without the gauze patches and portable air
sampler); they collected 4 canopy- and 4 bottom-leaf samples. This was repeated at 12,
24, 48, and 72 hours after the pesticide application. The weather during Reentry H was
warm and humid with no rainfall. The high and low daily temperatures and relative
humidity ranges, at the weather station 3 miles away, were as follows (respectively):
Sept. 8, 92°-68°F and 9 4 - 4 0 percent; Sept. 9, 94°-66°F and 9 4 - 3 6 percent; Sept. I0,
96°-67°F and 9 4 - 3 2 percent; Sept. 11,98°-62°F and 9 0 - 3 0 percent.

Blood samples. In both the Reentry I and Reentry H studies, blood was taken, from
each man (each day), before entry into the field and immediately following the last
sampling period. Urine collections were obtained and composited, for each man, for the
total period from the time of field entry to 24 hours thereafter. The blood samples were
analyzed by the Community Pesticide Studies Laboratory (Department of Entomology)
for plasma- and red blood-cell ChE depression, and for methyl- and ethyl parathion
content. The urine samples were analyzed for para-nitrophenol (PNP).

Sample extraction. In the laboratory, the leaves were punched to remove one disc
(37-ram diameter) per leaf. Each lO0-disc composite sample was placed in a 600-ml
beaker and washed 3 times with chloroform, the solvent-leaf mixture standing 5 min in
each wash. The extracts were combined and aliquots of them were diluted, as appropriate,
for flame-photometric-detection gas chromatography (GC). The blue-jeans and T-shirts
were washed separately 3 times in hexane, soaking them for 10 min each wash. The ex-
 Reentry Intervals for Organophosphate - Treated Cotton Fields 51

tracts were combined and concentrated or diluted, as required, for GC analysis. The
hexane hand washes (see Reentry I) were treated in the same manner. The gauze patches
(3 in. x 2.5 in.) were extracted within 3 hours of exposure by soaking each one individually
3 times in chloroform and the combined extracts were adjusted to 200 ml for GC analysis.

The ethylene glycol from each air sampler was extracted 3 times with 10 ml of diethyl
ether. The ether phase was washed with water and dried over sodium sulfate for GC
analysis.

The one-foot-square, on-target aluminum foils, from Reentry 1, were cut into small
pieces and immersed in 200 ml of chloroform; the resulting solution was diluted, as ap-
propriate, for GC analysis.

Gas chromatographic analysis. All determinations of m e t h y l - and ethyl parathion

and their oxons were made by gas chromatography, using a flame-photometric detector
sensitive to phosphorus-containing insecticide chemicals. The gas chromatograph had
Pyrex glass column (6 f t x 4 - m m ID) packed with 100/120 mesh Chromosorb-W-HP
treated with 5 percent by weight of SE-30. For m e t h y l - and ethyl parathion, the
operating temperatures were 225°C, 205°C, and 205°C, for the injection-port, column,
and detector, respectively; the nitrogen flow was 145 ml/min; for methyl paraoxon the
respective operating temperatures were 225°C, 190°C, and 205°C, with 95 ml/min
nitrogen flow; for ethyl paraoxon they were 225°C, 183°C, and 205°C, with 125 ml/min
nitrogen flow.

Quantitation was by peak height, compared to a standard curve made from standard
solutions containing 1 ng/#l of m e t h y l - or ethyl parathion, or 0.2 ng//al of their oxons.
The standard solutions were prepared with hexane but were mixed with chloroform when
chloroform-containing samples were analyzed. (The samples contained either hexane or
chloroform, depending on the extraction method.)

The analytical recoveries were 88 percent for both m e t h y l - and ethyl parathion. The
recoveries for the oxons were not determined but they were estimated to be in the general
range of the parent compounds.

Results
The on-target deposits of Reentry I, as sampled with the twelve one-foot-square
aluminum foils, average 0.614 lb/acre of methyl parathion, ranging from 0.17 to 1.99
lb/acre, and all contain a trace of methyl paraoxon.

The methyl parathion residues occuring on leaves, hands, blue-jeans, T-shirts, and gauze
patches, and in the air samplers from Reentry I are shown in Table I. The hands are probably
the greatest source of absorbed pesticide chemical exposure because, if bare, they are the
52 G.W. Ware et al.

Table I. Amounts or Concentrations of Residues of Methyl Parathion (MEP) and Methyl

Paraoxon in or on L eaves, Hands, Blue-Jeans, T-Shirts, Gauze Patches, and Air
Sampler, Resulting From 30-Min Work Periods in Pesticide-Treated Cotton
Fields (Reentry I; Marana, Arizona;August 21, 1971)

Time after treatment, hr A m o u n t or concentration of indicated residue

Leaves (#g/cm 2 )
Canopy Bottom
Methyl Methyl MEP
parathion parathion oxon

4.71 1.39 .02

5.49 2.08 .06

Subject A Subject B

B l u e - J e a n s ( T o t a l mg)
Methyl MEP Methyl MEP
parathion oxon parathion oxon

15.89 .136 5.67 .042

10.28 .093 6.10 .071

T - S h i r t s a (Total mg)
.55 .28
.29 .38

H a n d s ( T o t a l mg)
2.74 1025 .64 1005
1.94 .027 1.60 .021

Gauze Patches a (#g/patch)

0 Shin 87 55
0 Thigh 242 54
0 Hip 113 55
0 Forearm 60 22

4 Shin 155 94
4 Thigh 134 155
4 Hip 54 73
4 Forearm 50 81

Air (pg/ft 3 )
4 .05 .03
4 .05 .04

aAnalysis not made for MEP oxon.

 Reentry Intervals for Organophosphate--Treated Cotton Fields 53

only body part brought deliberately in contact with the cotton plant. Blue-jeans collect
the largest amounts of residue but this repository of pesticide chemical does not necessarily
undergo absorption. The T-shirts trap very little chemical. While walking through mature
cotton, the hips and thighs of a person come in contact with overlapping and overhanging
canopy, thus acquiring the burden of residues found on the respective patches. The amount
of pesticide chemical in the air and, thereby, subject to inhalation is quite low, as expected.

The leaf-surface residues of Reentry H are shown in Table II, while the residues on
the hands, blue-jeans, and T-shirts are given in Table III. By extrapolation of the residue
data for the leaf and the aluminum foil targets of Reentry I, it is estimated that a total of
approximately 1.2 pounds of parathion was applied per acre. The disappearance rate in-
dicates that, on cotton, methyl parathion (MEP) has a considerably shorter residual life
than ethyl parathion but the conversion and buildup of MEP oxon occurs at approximately
a two-fold level of that for paraoxon.

Despite the higher foliar residues found in Reentry II, the hand residues are somewhat
lower in Reentry H than in Reentry I. It is possible that contamination of the hands may
have been maximal even at the lower level of residue contact.

The biomedical data of Reentry I and Reentry II are shown in Table IV. There is no
clinical evidence of plasma- or red blood-cell cholinesterase depression and urinary
para-nitrophenol is not detectable, following the one-day, 30-minute exposures. Serum
parathion is present after the two, 30-minute exposures to the 0 - and 4 - h o u r methyl
parathion residues on August 21 (Reentry 1).

Discussion and conclusions

Quinby etal. (1958) found that the main exposure of cotton scouts to pesticide chemi-
cal residues in fields, treated with methyl parathion and Guthion, was to their hands. Resi-
dues were measured from respirator pads, gloves, sleeves, and T-shirts, after exposure to
residues of methyl parathion, and Guthion spray and dust. The total weight of methyl
parathion collected, on all garments of an average worker, was 3 milligrams per hour, in
the first hour after spraying, and less than 1 milligram per hour, 4 hours after spraying.

This is roughly in agreement with the data reported here. It is estimated (Table I) that
an average of 3.5 milligrams of residue are picked up by the hands during the first half
hour after reentry. Quinby's study did not, however, include the trousers, which have the
greatest surface and exposure to removable residues. The degree of subsequent absorption
of this repository into the human body is difficult to evaluate.

On the basis of the average accumulation of residues found on the skin and clothing,
and of the air-sampler data from the studies reported here, an individual can expect
 Table II. Concentrations of Surface Residues of Methyl Parathion (MEP) and Ethyl Parathion, and their
Oxons, on Cotton L eaves Following Aerial Pesticide Application
(Reentry H; Marana, Arizona; September 7, 1971)
Concentration at indicated location,/ag/cm 2
Canopy Bottom Total
Methyl Methyl
Time after para- MEP Para- Para- para- MEP Para- Para-
treatment, hr. thion oxon thion oxon thion oxon thion oxon Canopy Bottom
0 5.61 .05 4.02 .02 1.37 .02 .92 .00 9.70 2.31
12 3.31 .12 2.75 .04 1.09 .02 .76 .01 6.22 1.88
24 2.84 .07 2.58 .04 .81 .01 .59 .01 5.53 1.42
48 1.89 .06 1.96 .05 .56 .01 .44 .01 3.96 1.02
72 1.09 .05 1.24 .04 .49 .01 .38 .01 2.42 .89

Control a .22 .03 .31 .06 .25 .37

aSamples taken just prior to pesticide application.

 Reentry Intervals for Organophosphate Treated Cotton Fields 55

exposure to the following amounts of mixed residues, during a 3 0 - m i n u t e work period

at the indicated time after treatment of a cotton field with methyl parathion and parathion:

Time after Hands and

treatment (hr) forearms (mg) Clothing (mg) Inhalation (#g)2

0 3.47 18.21 1.06

12 1.93 t2.11 0.60
24 1.16 6.47 0.36
48 0.60 4.52 0.18
72 0.31 2.65 0.09

Table 111. A mounts of R esidues of Methyl Parathion (MEP) and Ethyl Parathion,
and their Oxons, on Hands, Blue Jeans, and T-Shirts, Resulting from 30-Min
Work Periods in PesticMe-Treated Cotton Fields (Reentry H; Marana,
Arizona;September 7, 1971)

Time After Total amount on indicated item, mg

treatment, hr Subject A [ Subject B
Hands
Methyl Ethyl Methyl Ethyl
para- MEP para- Para- para- MEP para- : Para-
thion oxon thion oxon thion oxon thion oxon

0 1.231 .003 .981 .004 1.231 .003 .918 .004

12 .474 .001 .434 .007 .820 .004 .707 .011
24 .308 .002 .323 .006 ,421 .004 .406 .008
48 .132 .002 .165 I .005 .206 .003 .248 .007
72 .075 .001 .106 .003 .084 .001 .120 .004

10t7111773 04
Blue-Jeans
0 .04
8.81 ] .04 I 7.24
t2 6.48 .06 5.19 .04 6.04 .05 5.36 .04
24 3.44 .04 3.40 ,05 2.66 .03 2.69 .05
48 2.18 .02 2.33 .05 1.94 .03 2,16 .04
72 1.20 .01 1.67 .04 .94 .01 1.27 .03
T-Shirts a
0 .540 .398 .891 .618
12 .264 .212 .370 .299
24 .212 .189 .180 .164
48 .104 .118 .096 .105
72 .052 .072 .038 .054

aAnalysis not made for MEP oxon or paraoxon.

2Assume average pulmonary ventilation of 25 l./min

 56 G.W. Ware et al.

Before any useful exposure information can be extrapolated from these data, an esti-
mate of actual field contact for an individual must be made. On the assumption that a
cotton scout visits an average of 10 cotton fields a day and that he remains in each field
an average of 30 minutes, the total field contact time is approximately 300 minutes (5
hours). With this total contact time, it is estimated that, if the fields are entered 24 hours
after treatment with m e t h y l - and ethyl parathion (as described above), the hands and
forearms would accumulate 11.6 milligrams, clothing 64.7 milligrams, and respiratory
system 3.6 micrograms of residue. If the entry is made 48 hours after treatment, the hands
and forearms accumulate 6.0 milligrams, clothing 45.2 milligrams, and respiratory system
1.8 micrograms. In view of the generally dry quality of an aged residue, it is further esti-
mated that less than 50 percent of the transfered and relocated residue would be absorbed.
Because of the thickness of the denim trousers, little (if any) residue reaches the skin.
Thus, if the entry is made 24 hours after treatment, it is probable that the absorbed dose
, would not exceed 5.8 milligrams, and, if the entry takes place 48 hours after treatment,
the absorbed dose would probably be in the order of 3.0 mg during an average working
day (5 hours).

Moeller and Rider (1959) found that 1 milligram of methyl parathion ingested daily
for 35 days, by humans, did not produce any toxic effects or depression of red blood
cell (RBC) and plasma cholinesterase (ChE). Later (1961), they found that 3.0 and 4.5
milligrams of ethyl parathion, ingested daily for 28 days did not produce any significant

Table IV. Biomedical Data for Two Human Subjects Working in Pesticide- Treated
Cotton Fields (Reentry L Marana, Arizona, August 21, 1971,"
Reentry H, Marana, Arizona, September 7, 1971)
Pesticide Serum Plasma RBC Urinary
exposure parathion, cholinesterase, cholinesterase, PNP
Reentry Date Subject status ppb #M/ml/min /~M/ml/min mg/24 hr

8/20 A Before 0 4.3 10.7

8/21 After 27 4.4 12.5
8/20 B Before 0 3.3 12.7
8/21 After 32 3.2 12.5

II Before 0 2.9 9.3 0

After 0 3.4 1 1.5 0
After 0 2.9 1 1.0 0
Before 0 3.8 9.4 0
After 0 2.7 1 1.4 0
After Trace (?) 4.1 1 1.5 0
 Reentry Intervals for Organophosphate-Treated Cotton Fields 57

depression of RBC- or plasma ChE; 6 milligrams per day, however, produced an im-
mediate depression of both, reaching a maximum of 10 to 15 percent. Methyl para-
thion, administered at the same levels, did not result in depression of either form of ChE.

Moeller and Rider (1962) observed that ingestion of 6.5 milligrams of methyl para-
thion per day for 35 days, by humans, followed by 7.0 milligrams per day for another 24
days, resulted in RBC- and plasma ChE levels within 10 percent of the control values or,
essentially, no depression. In contrast, their later study (1963) indicated that humans in-
gesting methyl parathion, ranging from 7 to 9 milligrams per day for 30 days, had RBC-
and plasma ChE values within 20 percent of controls, suggesting that the threshold of in-
cipient toxicity for humans possibly is much higher than originally predicted.

Two contingent circumstances must prevail if contact with field pesticide residues is to
result in discernible effect on a human subject: 1) personal contact with residue-laden
foliage must be sufficient to deliver or transfer a substantial dose of toxicant, and 2) cumu-
lative absorption across skin, gut lining, and pulmonary membrane must be great enough
to exceed metabolic detoxification and, thus, to produce a significant effect on a testable
biochemical system. For overt poisoning to occur, absorption of toxicant must so over-
whelm normal metabolic breakdown of toxicant that interference with vital biochemical
processes occurs. From the most recent dosing studies of Moeller and Rider (1961, 1963),
for example, it was known that man can ingest up to 4.5 milligrams ethyl parathion and
9.0 milligrams methyl parathion daily without a significant effect on cholinesterase, much
less symptoms of poisoning.

The field,study data reported in this paper show that clothing and hands exposed to
foliage, just after treatment with parathion, do indeed trap an amount of toxicant that
would have an effect on cholinesterase, if the pesticide chemical is absorbed. However.
these data show that the pesticide exposure encountered does not affect the serum- or
RBC cholinesterase levels, and that there is not any detectable PNP in urine samples col-
lected up to 48 hours after exposure, using an analytical method that would detect ex-
cretions in excess of 0.1 milligram with certainty.

It is apparent that data on skin and clothing contamination by the toxicant is an al-
together inadequate basis, by itself, for evaluating likelihood of parathion poisoning. This
agrees with the findings of Hayes et al. (1964) that dermal absorption of parathion may
be extremely inefficient under some circumstances. Far more useful tests for evaluation
of toxic hazard are measurements of demonstrated absorption of toxicant, e.g. t) serum
parathion, 2) serum and cell cholinesterase activities, and 3) urinary excretion of para-
nitrophenol.

Parathion in the serum surely confirms absorption but this finding is, undoubtedly, a
very transient phenomenon and, therefore, is difficult to use in quantifying total pesticide
58 G.W. Ware et al.

uptake (Roan et al. 1969). Cholinesterase activity measurements offer the advantage of
testing an ultimate physiologic consequence of pesticide exposure but involve a number of
physiologic and kinetic variables as well as effects from pesticide chemical absorption.

Measurements of urinary para-nitrophenol (PNP) excretion (product of urine volume

times PNP concentration) give the investigator an objective estimate of minimum para-
thion absorption in the course of exposure. Thus, the excretion of 1 milligram of PNP
indicates that at least 2.1 milligrams of ethyl parathion or 1.9 milligrams of methyl para-
thion was absorbed by one or more of the physiologic routes available in the course of
exposure. The principal virtue of this type of measurement is that it represents an absolute
physical dosage, whose significance is not confused by the multiple physiologic variables
that affect the inhibitor-cholinesterase interaction. When data become available relating
deliberate, measured parathion dosage to urinary PNP excretion, it should be possible to
estimate quite accurately the actual level of pesticide uptake in any exposure situation.
For the present, it is useful to rely on previous dosing- and occupational health studies
(Hayes et al. 1964, Roan et aL 1969) to confirm the excretion of measurable amounts of
PNP in response to subtoxic exposures to parathion.

Several findings in this study provide a basis for optimism that, in the case of cotton,
field checking can be done safely 12 to 24 hours after spraying parathion; these include:
t) respiratory uptake, no doubt the greatest hazard toxicologically (Hartwell and Hayes
1965), is extremely low, even when the cotton field is entered immediately after spraying;
2) total absorption of parathion under these same circumstances is inadequate to gener-
ate measurable PNP in the urine or to affect blood cholinesterase levels.

Remaining to be done are 1) empirical measurements of actual parathion absorption

in the course of an entire work day involving cotton-inspection activities, and 2) moni-
toring of cotton inspection teams for all pesticide-related health effects in the course of
an entire season.

References

Bailey, J. B.: Factors that must be considered in conducting "Farm Workers Re-entry
Monitoring Studies". Unpublished report, Department of Entomology, University
of California, Berkeley, Part I, 4pp. (1972).
Barnes, G., H, Roberts, H. R. Hurst, D. Ibsen, and M. Appleberry: A cholinesterase study
on persons with phosphate insecticide exposure-1966. Unpublished report, Agri-
culture Extension Service, University o f Arkansas, Fayetteville, 4pp (1967).
Hartwell, W. V., and G. R. Hayes, Jr: Respiratory exposure to organic phosphorus in-
secticides. AMA Arch. Environ. Health 11,564 (1965).
Hayes, G. R. Jr., A. J. Funckes, and W. V. Hartwell: Dermal exposure of human volun-
teers to parathion. AMA Arch. Environ. Health 8,829 (1964).
 Reentry Intervals for Organophosphate-Treated Cotton Fields 59

Moeller, H. C., and J. A. Rider: The effects of various organic phosphate insecticides on
RBC and plasma cholinesterase in humans. Abstract. Fed. Proc. 18,424 (1959).
Studies on the anticholinesterase effect of parathion and methyl
parathion in humans. Abstract. Fed. Proc. 20, 434 (1961).
Threshold of incipient toxicity to Systox and methyl parathion. Ab-
stract. Fed. Proc. 21,451 (1962).
Further studies on the toxicity of Systox and methyl parathion. Ab-
stract. Fed. Proc. 22, 189 (1963).
Quinby, G. E., K. C. Walker, and W. F. Durham: Public health hazards involved in the
use of organic phosphorus insecticides in cotton culture in the Delta area of
Mississippi. J. Econ. Entomol. 51,831 (1958).
Roan, C. C., D. P. Morgan, N. Cook, and E. H. Paschal. Blood cholinesterases, serum
parathion concentrations and urine p-nitrophenol concentrations in exposed in-
dividuals. Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 4, 362 (1969).

Manuscript received August 17, 1972; accepted September 29, 1972.