Abstract
The safety of the chlorophenoxy herbicide, 2,4,5-T, which is extensively used in New Zealand, has been the subject of considerable debate. It had been claimed that 2,4,5-T was fetotoxic and teratogenic to animals although it is now recognised that these toxic properties can almost certainly be attributed to the presence of the contaminant 2,3,7,8-tetrachloro-dibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD, dioxin). Recently it has been shown that there is an increased risk of soft tissue sarcoma in persons exposed to phenoxy herbicides but again this may be due to dioxin. Despite all the attention there is little information on the extent of exposure of occupationally involved persons. In this study the extent of absorption was determined in a group of applicators using 2,4,5-T.