Farmer exposure to organic solvents during the maintenance and repair of farm machinery: A pilot study

Background The maintenance/repair of farm machinery is a common farming activity. Dermal exposure to organic solvents has not been well documented. A pilot study was conducted to characterize exposure to organic solvents. Methods A survey questionnaire was administered to 31 Kentucky farmers in 2008. Dermal exposure assessment was conducted in 10 farmers while farmers performed farm machinery maintenance/repair tasks using a solvent sampling patch. Benzene, toluene, xylene, and n ‐hexane were analyzed. Results All four organic solvents were identified from the samples with toluene (<0.5–36,000 µg/patch) and xylene (15–5,700 µg/patch) at significantly higher levels. Twenty‐six farmers reported the use of personal protective equipment <50% of their time repairing/maintaining farm machinery on the questionnaire; only two farmers wore gloves during the exposure assessment. Conclusions Farmers routinely use solvent products for farm machinery maintenance/repair. Dermal exposure to organic solvents is a potential hazard. Further studies to characterize and evaluate exposure in larger samples of farmers are needed. Am. J. Ind. Med. 52:973–981, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.