Pesticides are widely used as plant protection products (PPPs) in farming systems to preserve crops against pests, weeds, and fungal diseases. Indoor dust can act as a chemical repository revealing ...occurrence of pesticides in the indoor environment at the time of sampling and the (recent) past. This in turn provides information on the exposure of humans to pesticides in their homes. In the present study, part of the Horizon 2020 funded SPRINT project, the presence of 198 pesticide residues was assessed in 128 indoor dust samples from both conventional and organic farmworker households across Europe, and in Argentina. Mixtures of pesticide residues were found in all dust samples (25-121, min-max; 75, median). Concentrations varied in a wide range (<0.01 ng/g-206 μg/g), with glyphosate and its degradation product AMPA, permethrin, cypermethrin and piperonyl butoxide found in highest levels. Regarding the type of pesticides, insecticides showed significantly higher levels than herbicides and fungicides. Indoor dust samples related to organic farms showed a significantly lower number of residues, total and individual concentrations than those related to conventional farms. Some pesticides found in indoor dust were no longer approved ones (29 %), with acute/chronic hazards to human health (32 %) and with environmental toxicity (21 %).
According to field research, banana peels have a significant impact on the uptake of pesticide residues by banana pulps. To predict pesticide residue concentrations in harvested bananas, however, ...current modeling approaches did not take into consideration the banana peel as a single simulating compartment. To address the problem, we incorporated a peel-pulp interaction system into a modified multicompartment fruit tree model in order to simulate pesticide residue concentrations in banana plants. The simulation results revealed that lipophilicity played a crucial role in regulating pesticide bioaccumulation in banana plants, showing that moderately- or highly-lipophilic compounds had a high potential for bioaccumulation in banana pulps and peels. Some model inputs, such as peel thickness, degradation rates in plant tissues, and dissipation rates in the soil, had a substantial impact on the bioaccumulation of pesticides in banana pulps and peels. Even if more aspects (such as dynamically morphological properties of banana plants and ionizable chemical compounds) must be considered for in future research, the proposed modeling approach can aid in the comprehension of the pesticide bioaccumulation mechanism in banana plants.
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•The peel-pulp interaction is considered in the banana uptake model of pesticides.•A simplified banana uptake model allows for high-throughput simulations.•The simplified model creates higher estimates of residues in bananas than the full model.•The lipophilicity plays a vital role in determining residue levels in banana fruits.•A user-friendly spreadsheet is provided for simulating residue levels in harvested bananas.
New transfer coefficient (TC) values were derived for vineyard workers handling treated grapevines during harvesting and crop maintenance activities. Re-entry exposure and dislodgeable foliar residue ...(DFR) studies were performed in Europe, covering hand harvesting, pruning/training, pruning/tying and pruning/shoot lifting. Foliar applications of fungicides (iprovalicarb, dimethomorph, dithianon, pyrimethanil and fenbuconazole) were made and 73 workers at 16 sites were monitored over one working day. Exposure was measured on inner and outer dosimeters, face/neck wipes and hand washes. In concurrent DFR studies, leaf punches were taken at each site during the time of worker re-entry. Potential exposure values correlated well with DFR values. TC values were derived for various re-entry activities for potential and actual exposure, with and without gloves. The harvesting task resulted in lower TC values than the other crop maintenance tasks. Additional TC values reflecting the use of protective gloves can be derived from the results. The TC values are much lower than current European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) default values. This project addresses a data gap identified by EFSA for specific EU TC values to permit more realistic and reliable re-entry worker exposure estimates for grapes.
•New transfer coefficient (TC) values derived for grape vineyard workers.•5 pairs of re-entry exposure & dislodgeable foliar residue (DFR) studies analyzed.•Potential exposure values correlated well with DFR values.•Total TC values are much lower than current EFSA default values.•Permit more realistic and reliable re-entry worker exposure estimates for grapes.
Hidden ingredients in plant protection products (PPPs) threaten public health, food trade, and the environment. In this study, we developed a high-throughput screening method of 639 hidden ...ingredients in PPPs using GC-MS/MS in multiple reaction monitoring mode. Results showed that the qualitative criteria of retention time (tR) shift and uncertainty of qualifier to quantifier ratio in the commercially available Shimadzu Smart Pesticides Database were set at < 0.17 min and < 30%, respectively, which could be used to tentatively identify compounds without standards. The limits of quantification were 0.01–0.05 mg/kg. A wide linear range of 10–1000 μg/L was observed with R2 ≥ 0.975. Recoveries from three types of PPP formulations were 62.08%− 126.3%, with relative standard deviations < 15.7%. Finally, this method was applied to screen and quantify hidden ingredients in 91 plant protection products (PPPs) samples collected from online sales in China. Only one hidden ingredient, dimethomorph (1.6 g/kg), was detected in the polyoxin formulation (15% wettable powder). The results will be helpful in assessing the potential risks of hidden ingredients in PPPs.
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•A high-throughput screening method for 639 hidden ingredients was established.•Qualitative criteria were set based on ion ratio and retention time shift.•91 plant protection products of three types of formulations were investigated.•One hidden ingredient dimethomorph was detected in biopesticide products.
This paper reviews the impact of beer-making stages (malting, mashing, boiling, and fermentation) on the behavior of pesticide residues. The large use of pesticides on barley and hop could cause the ...occurrence of their residues in beer. The foremost factors influencing the stability of residues (pH, temperature, and water content) and the physical-chemical properties of pesticides (octanol–water partition coefficient, vapor pressure, and water solubility) are essential to know their final fate. Most pesticides show a decrease in the unhopped wort because they are adsorbed onto the spent grains after mashing. In addition, their concentrations decrease during boiling and fermentation. Generally, maltsters should dedicate particular attention to the residues of hydrophobic pesticides because they can remain on the malt. Contrarily, brewers should control residues of hydrophilic pesticides because they can be carried over into young beer, disturbing the quality and organoleptic properties (flavor, aroma, taste, or color) of the beer.
CropLife Europe collected literature values from monitoring studies measuring air concentrations of Plant Protection Products (PPPs) that may be inhaled by humans located in rural areas but not ...immediately adjacent to PPP applications. The resulting “Combined Air Concentration Database” (CACD) was used to determine whether air concentrations of PPPs reported by the French “Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety” (ANSES) are consistent with those measured by others to increase confidence in values of exposure to humans. The results were put into risk assessment context. Results show that 25–90% of samples do not contain measurable PPP concentrations. Measured respirable fractions were below EU default air concentrations used for risk assessment for resident exposure by the European Food Safety Authority. All measured exposures in the CACD were also below established toxicological endpoints, even when considering the highest maximum average reported concentrations and very conservative inhalation rates. The highest recorded air concentration was for prosulfocarb (0.696 μg/m³ measured over 48 h) which is below the EFSA default limit of 1 μg/m³ for low volatility substances. In conclusion, based on the CACD, measured air concentrations of PPPs are significantly lower than EFSA default limits and relevant toxicological reference values.
•PPP air monitoring concentrations collected in Combined Air Concentration Database.•Literature values were compared with those reported by ANSES.•25–90% of samples did not contain measurable PPP concentrations.•Where quantifiable, samples were below EFSA default air vapour concentrations.•All measured concentrations were also below established toxicological endpoints.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), as the responsible authority for pesticide registration in Europe, published guidance documents describing the required studies for different groups of ...aquatic and terrestrial organisms and their implementation in risk calculations (EFSA, 2010, 2013a). Furthermore, EFSA also recently published scientific opinions on in-soil organisms, non-target arthropods, amphibians, and reptiles as well as non-target terrestrial plants calling for improvement of ERA for the respective groups (EFSA, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018). ...the application of the herbicide leads to a reduction of “weeds” (as intended in the field) and of “non-target plants” (the same plant species growing outside the field), therefore reducing the amount of food for pollinators and herbivorous insects. The agricultural cropping area that receives pesticide inputs in Europe represents 22% of the total land area, reaching more than 30% for example in Germany and France (for 2015, Eurostat, 2019). ...in countries with a high proportion of cropped area almost a third of the terrestrial land surface is not evaluated regarding negative effects of pesticides on its biodiversity.
This study estimates the risks of agricultural pesticides on non-target organisms and the environment by combining detailed pesticide application data for 2015 with the Danish risk indicator ...Pesticide Load. We quantify and map the pesticide load of 59 pesticides on 28 crops and pastures in the EU. Furthermore, we investigate how recent bans on 14 pesticides in the EU could reduce pesticide use and load. Key findings show that the highest pesticide loads per hectare occur in Cyprus and the Netherlands due to high application rates and a high proportion of vegetable production. Chlorpyrifos caused the highest pesticide load per hectare on more than half of the assessed crops before its ban. The ban of 14 pesticides between 2018 and 2023 potentially reduced pesticide loads by 94%, but unobserved substitution effects could offset pesticide load reductions. Although bans on active substances are justified to control certain endpoint risks, our results highlight the potential weaknesses of bans that merely shift risks. These findings contribute to the ongoing scientific and societal discourse on efficiently mitigating pesticides' impacts on non-target organisms and the environment. However, to improve the evaluation of pesticide use, it is vital to enhance the reporting on detailed pesticide use for individual crop-pesticide combinations.
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•Quantified pesticide-related risks in the EU with the Pesticide Load•The cultivation of vegetables incurs the highest pesticide load per hectare•Ban of pesticides decreased pesticide load substantially•The substitution of banned pesticides could offset reduction of pesticide load
Estimating emissions of chemical pesticides used in agriculture is an essential component in evaluating the potential toxicity-related impacts on humans and ecosystems in various comparative risk and ...impact assessment frameworks, such as life cycle assessment, environmental footprinting, absolute environmental sustainability assessment, chemical substitution, and risk prioritization. Emissions related to drift deposition—usually derived from drift experiments—can reach non-target areas, and vary as a function of crop characteristics and application technique. We derive cumulative drift deposition fractions for a wide range of experimental drift functions for use in comparative and mass-balanced approaches. We clarify that cumulative drift deposition fractions require to integrate the underlying drift functions over the relevant deposition area and to correct for the ratio of deposition area to treated field area to arrive at overall mass deposited per unit mass of applied pesticide. Our results show that for most crops, drift deposition fractions from pesticide application are below 0.03 (i.e. 3% of applied mass), except for grapes and fruit trees, where drift fractions can reach 5% when using canon or air blast sprayers. Notably, aerial applications on soybeans can result in significantly higher drift deposition fractions, ranging from 20% to 60%. Additionally, varying the nozzle position can lead to a factor of five differences in pesticide deposition, and establishing buffer zones can effectively reduce drift deposition. To address remaining limitations in deriving cumulative drift deposition fractions, we discuss possible alternative modelling approaches. Our proposed approach can be implemented in different quantitative and comparative assessment frameworks that require emission estimates of agricultural pesticides, in support of reducing chemical pollution and related impacts on human health and the environment.
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•Comparative impact assessments require cumulative estimates of pesticide emissions.•Drift fraction integrates crop-application method-specific drift curves from experiments.•Validity ranges of drift functions and spray nozzle position need to be considered.•Various drift reduction techniques are considered.•Alternative drift modelling approaches may address prevailing limitations.
A polyhydroxy methacrylate-based stationary reversed phase was used for the determination of coformulants in 20 plant protection products (PPPs). These samples were analyzed by liquid chromatography ...coupled to Q-Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-Q-Orbitrap-HRMS) in full-scan MS and data-dependent acquisition (ddMS2) modes. A total of 92 coformulants were tentatively identified in these formulations by nontargeted and unknown analyses. Twelve out of them were quantified by analytical standards. The most concentrated coformulant was the anionic surfactant dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid, whose highest content was obtained in the Score 25 sample (6.87%, w/v). Furthermore, triethylene glycol monomethyl ether, 4-s-butyl-2,6-di-tert-butylphenol, 1-ethyl-2-pyrrolidone, sorbitan monostearate, 2,6-dimethylaniline, palmitamide, and N-lauryldiethanolamine were quantified for the first time in these products. Hence, the polyhydroxy methacrylate-based stationary phase increased the identification of new coformulants in PPPs, being complementary to conventional C18. This strategy could be applied in future studies to estimate potential coformulant residues from PPPs applied to crops.
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