WORTH REPEATING 







Dear Members and Associates, 



Pesticides are nothing to fool around with. The out-of-sight, out-of-mind 

 attitude won't work tweRty years from now when your body starts showing 

 problems. Today's chemicals are as toxic as they ever were — the only 

 differences are that safety information Is now printed on the label and 

 company representatives are doing a great fob in safety education. 



The reason I'm writing this article is that In college, people toid us it was 

 a good idea to have our chollnesterase monitored . When It came time for our 

 annual physical, my Dad was first and I told him to have it checked. His 

 doctor sent a blood sample to a local hospital for a check on his cholin es- 

 terase level. A short time later, he received a printout and a bill for nearly 

 $800.00. No one at the hospital understood what he needed and they 

 checked every little thing in his blood. 



This was a good lesson learned, so i thought 1 would pass it on to you. 



What you should do is, during the off-season , make an appointment with 

 your physician. TeD him you work with chemicals and that you'd like to have 

 thetestdone. This off-season testwiil give you yoar blood base-line. Then, 

 daring the season you spray the most, have your blood checked a couple 

 times again. This will tell you if the level has increased and whether or not 

 you should stop spraying awhile to bring it back down to where ft should be. 



The price? This procedure costs approximately $100. Below are a 

 couple of good, reliable companies that do the procedure and who seemed 

 very nice on the phone when 1 talked to them. Call for prices first — they vary 

 according to your location. The labs are: 



Roche Biomedical Laboratory, located throughout New England ; phone : 

 1-800-828-6303. 



Division of Chemlawn; write to: Manager, Clinical Laboratory, 

 1 35 Winter Road, Delaware, Ohio 4301 5; phone: (614) 548-7330. 



If you want a tip from me, the only thing I have to say Is — DON'T DRINK 

 THE WATER] 



Robert E. Demers, Jr., President, NHPGA 

 Demers Garden Center, Inc. 



Test For Cholinesterase 



A two-step method to test workers' 

 cholinesterase levels can show if you're 

 using proper insecticide handling 

 procedures. 



The EPA is expected to release an 

 update soon of worker safety proce- 

 dures designed specifically for farm 

 workers. One of the provisions an- 

 ticipated to be in the final draft in- 

 volves examining cholinesterase lev- 

 els in individuals who have contact 

 with organophosphate and carbam- 

 ate insecticides. Cholinesterase is 

 essential for the proper functioning 

 of nerves and muscle . 



"This vital enzyme prevents the 

 accumulation of an excess of acetyl- 

 choline, the chemical responsible for 

 transmitting electrical impulses be- 

 tween nerves as well as between 

 nerves, muscles, and secretory or- 

 gans," says Dr. Roger A. Yeary, vice 



president of Health, Safety, and En- 

 vironmental Affairs for ChemLawn 

 Services Corp., the lawn care com- 

 pany headquartered in Columbus, 

 OH. 



Overexposure to organophosphate 

 and carbamate insecticides is known 

 to lower cholinesterase in the ner- 

 vous system, preventing the enzyme 

 from controlling the amount of ace- 

 tylcholine. 'Therefore, decreasing 

 levels of cholinesterase may induce 

 symptoms such as fatigue, headache, 

 blurred vision, nausea, vomiting, di- 

 arrhea, chest pains, difficulty in 

 breathing, and excessive salivation 

 and perspiration An abundance 

 of acetylcholine overactivates the 

 nerves and muscles which control 

 the gastrointestinal tract, often re- 

 sulting in flu-like symptoms of vom- 

 iting and diarrhea. 



"It's also important to recognize 

 the cumulative effect of insecticides 



resulting from uninterrupted daily 

 exposure," Yeary says Repeated ex- 

 posure to organophosphates or car- 

 bamates may cause a progressive 

 decline in cholinesterase resulting in 

 the inhibiting effects and symptoms 

 mentioned. However, simple moni- 

 toring procedures can help prevent 

 overexposure, according to Yeary 



TESTING FINDS SUSCEPTIBLE 

 WORKERS 



Cholinesterase monitoring programs 

 can flag workers who become over- 

 exposed, permitting action to be 

 taken prior to intoxication. Determin- 

 ing whether or not proper, insecti- 

 cide handling procedures are being 

 followed is another goal of the pro- 

 gram Though measuring cholinester- 

 ase in the nervous system is not 

 possible, blood samples can be ana- 

 lyzed to indicate the absorption of 

 these insecticides. Chem-Lawn's 

 Clinical Lab, which is licensed by 

 the U.S. Public Health Service, uses 

 a simple two-step procedure, analyz- 

 ing a person's plasma and red blood 

 cells. 



First, the lab administers an ini- 

 tial test to establish a baseline or 

 normal level of the cholinesterase 

 enzyme in the worker. 



"We recommend at least a 2- 

 month lapse since an individual has 

 had contact with cholinesterase-in- 

 hibiting insecticides," said Yeary 

 Secondly, periodic follow-up evalua- 

 tions are given during and after ex- 

 posure detect if the level has 

 dropped 



The ChemLawn monitoring pro- 

 gram prescribes that a baseline 

 should be established annually for 

 all persons who have contact with 

 cholinesterase inhibitors by survey- 

 ing both red blood cells and plasma. 

 Routine plasma tests are given at 3- 

 to 4-week intervals, while comparing 

 the results to the baseline value. 



A full test report can be com- 

 pleted within a few days of acquiring 

 blood samples. Regular cholinester- 

 ase monitoring may reduce both 

 medical costs and liability expenses. 

 But more importantly, increasing 

 safety will ultimately boost commit- 

 ment and morale of workers. 



Reprinted from March 1991 Farm 

 Chemicals 



The Plantsman 

 32 



