A Critical Scoping Review of Pesticide Exposure Biomonitoring Studies in Overhead Cultures

Abstract

The exposure of operators, workers, residents and bystanders to pesticides is of high potential concern. Yet, reports on pesticide residues in the environment and near treated fields often spark debates if such findings might indicate a health risk. Although the underlying models are considered conservative, there are only limited field data on systemic exposure available. As a first step to improve the situation, we conducted a scoping review of state-of-the-art pesticide exposure biomonitoring studies in operators, workers, residents or bystanders. In contrast to existing reviews, we focused on target cultures of potential high pesticide exposure such as tree-grown produce, vine or hops. The search was conducted in Web of Science, Scopus and PubMed. Out of 17 eligible articles, a total of 11 studies met our search criteria, and 6 of them quantified the systemic exposure of humans. The analysis revealed that exposure was mainly driven by application of pesticides and reentry work, resulting in a higher exposure of operators and workers than of residents and bystanders. In nearly all cases, the systemic exposure was below the relevant toxicological reference values. The studies were subsequently analyzed to identify key criteria for a reliable design of a biomonitoring study on pesticide exposure.

Applicability of Food Monitoring Data for Assessing Relative Exposure Contributions of Pyrethroids in Retrospective Human Biomonitoring Risk Estimations

“…In fact, the role of other sources has been highlighted in a study on French adults [ 23 ], but CFMP was not included. A recent review has concluded that, in general, non-dietary exposure is much more relevant for workers than for the general population [ 24 ]; as CFMP is not a metabolite of the pyrethroids mostly used in pharmaceutical or biocidal products, further assessments are needed for understanding this result. Although co-exposure may affect the toxicokinetics of pesticides, studies have confirmed that these pyrethroid metabolites are also relevant biomarkers in cases of co-exposure at the measured levels [ 25 , 26 ].…”

Studies on Air Pollution and Air Quality in Rural and Agricultural Environments: A Systematic Review

“…Another aspect of potential importance is the application and use of pesticides and/or fertilizers during monitoring and sampling, an issue analyzed in five studies in this review [28,33,37,39,45] (Table S3). Although this literature review is not focused on pesticide exposure, their assessment is of fundamental importance in agricultural settings and has already been deepened in different literature review papers [23,[76][77][78][79]. Many commonly used pesticides indeed have a high potential toxicity, and even low-dose exposures can lead to adverse effects on human health, resulting, for example, in (i) increased risk of cancer; (ii) neurodegenerative diseases; (iii) impaired neurological development in children; and (iv) adverse respiratory outcomes (e.g., asthma morbidity, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and reduced lung function) [80].…”

Regional Variations in Pesticide Residue Detection Rates and Concentrations in Saudi Arabian Crops

“…As of 2020, unintentional acute pesticide poisoning had 385 million cases globally, 11,000 of which were considered fatal [ 6 ]. Individuals working in the agricultural sector, including operators and workers, are particularly vulnerable to pesticide exposure, which is predominantly driven by direct application and reentry [ 7 ]. General health effects from pesticide toxicity include acute neurologic and respiratory symptoms, as well as more chronic disorders such as malignancies, sterility and impaired immune function [ 5 ].…”