Many pesticides applied in cut flowers can be readily absorbed through the skin of florists during preparing bouquets and handling contaminated flowers. A study was conducted among volunteer Belgian florists in order to assess their total exposure by measuring concentrations of pesticides (parent compounds and metabolites) in their urines. A total of 42 urine samples (24-h urines) were collected from florists during their professional activities, on the three most important commercial periods. The concentrations of pesticide residues and metabolites in urine samples were analyzed with a multiresidue liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method, after an ethyl acetate extraction. The results are compared with those of a control group of 42 subjects not occupationally exposed to pesticides, collected in the same periods. A total of 70 residues (56 pesticides and 14 metabolites) were identified, with an average of about eight pesticide residues and metabolites per florist’s urine sample and an average total concentration per sample of 4.3 µg/g creatinine, ranging from 0.2 to 67 µg/g creatinine. Significantly higher urinary excretion of metabolites (t-test) was found in florists than in control group. These results demonstrate that Belgian florists are exposed daily to pesticide residues with a potential effect on their health.

在准备花束和处理被污染的花朵时，切花上使用的许多农药都可以很容易地通过花店的皮肤吸收。在比利时自愿的花店中进行了一项研究，目的是通过测量尿液中农药（母体化合物和代谢产物）的浓度来评估其总暴露量。在三个最重要的商业时期，从花店的专业活动中总共收集了42个尿液样本（24小时尿液）。乙酸乙酯萃取后，采用多残留液相色谱串联质谱法分析尿液样品中农药残留和代谢物的浓度。将结果与同期收集的未职业接触农药的42名对照组的结果进行比较。总共鉴定出70种残留物（56种农药和14种代谢物），每个花店尿液样本平均约有8种农药残留物和代谢物，每个样本的平均总浓度为4.3 µg / g肌酐，范围为0.2至67 µg /肌酐。代谢产物的尿排泄明显增加（t检验）被发现在花店比对照组。这些结果表明，比利时花店每天都暴露于农药残留中，这可能对其健康产生潜在影响。