Human Risk Assessment of Profenofos: A Case Study in Ismailia, Egypt

Profenofos is used widely in Egypt for controlling Lepidopteron pests of cotton and vegetables. Profenofos toxicological evaluation was done by assessing biochemical and histopathological changes in liver and kidney of albino rats. The benchmark dose (BMD) is used as an alternative to the NOAEL/LOAEL approach for a more quantitative way of deriving acute and chronic reference doses. The BMD and the lower confidence limit on the benchmark dose (BMDL) were calculated to estimate the critical dose for the most sensitive biochemical marker. Toxicity assessment revealed that cholinesterase is the most sensitive biomarker for male rats while uric acid is the most sensitive biomarker for female rats. Profenofos dietary intake based on tomato, sweet pepper, and strawberries were five times higher than EPA chronic RfD. The acute and chronic reference doses were 0.002 mg/kg b.w and 0.0002 mg/kg b.w for females and 0.00031 mg/kg b.w and 0.000031 mg/kg b.w for males. Profenofos risk characterization was determined by comparing the dietary intake of profenofos via consuming fresh vegetables with the calculated acute and chronic reference doses.