Pesticide risk assessment in flower greenhouses in Argentina: The importance of manipulating concentrated products

Abstract

An evaluation of the Potential Dermal Exposure of workers to endosulfan and procymidone at the mix/load and application stages was done in small floricultural production units in Argentina. Seven experiments were performed with different operators under typical greenhouse conditions, based on the whole body dosimetry methodology. These results indicate that the mean Potential Dermal Exposure of the application step was 45.0 ± 55.0 mL h(-1) with the highest proportion on torso, head, arms and hands. When the mix/load and application stages were compared, the first was found to contribute the most to the total exposure. Also, the Margin of Safety for the different operations was calculated, and a pesticide surrogate was developed and used to make comparative evaluations of hand exposure for different groups of operators. These results emphasize the importance of the mix/load stage in the exposure process.

Assessment of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) Producers’ Exposure Level to Pesticides, in Kouka and Toussiana (Burkina Faso)

“…However, our study showed a low level (or absence) of producer protection. The few producers who used masks and gloves wore them during the application of pesticides but not during the preparation of the mixture when the greatest exposure occurs because the product is handled in the concentrated state and the risk of inhalation of concentrated pesticide vapors remains high [ 8 , 40 , 41 ]. 64% of hand contamination occurred during the mixing-loading phases [ 36 ], 20% of producers’ wore short-sleeved clothing and shorts, while several studies have highlighted heavy contamination of legs and forearms during pesticide application [ 36 , 42 , 43 , 44 ].…”

Drift Evaluation of a Quadrotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Sprayer: Effect of Liquid Pressure and Wind Speed on Drift Potential Based on Wind Tunnel Test

“…The use of pesticide solutions for droplet drift assessment is the most reliable method. However, the organic solvent is usually chosen to extract pesticide active ingredients from the samples in the laboratory, such as hexane [30][31][32] and acetone [33]. The extensive use of organic solvent, their waste disposal, and a high-frequency repetitions at the experimental site not only harms the environment but also has a health hazard for laboratory personnel.…”

Polyethylene film incorporation into the horticultural soil of small periurban production units in Argentina

“…Endosulfan, chlorpyrifos, procymidone, trifluralin and deltamethrin were chosen for this study due to their extensive use in horticultural and floricultural production units in Argentina (Berenstetin et al, 2014;Flores et al, 2011;Hughes et al, 2008;Querejeta et al, 2012;Querejeta et al, 2014;Ramos et al, 2010). Additionally, endosulfan was selected for swabbing and immersion experiments due to its high stability.…”