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Residents perceptions of non-dietary pesticide exposure risk. Knowledge gaps and challenges for targeted awareness-raising material in Italy
Abstract
Currently there are no tools to accurately estimate pesticides exposure risk for residents and bystanders. European Member States have to develop specific measures and communication strategies to prevent and minimize non-occupational pesticides exposure. Moreover, these measures should be compliant with the requirements of the Directive on Sustainable Use of Pesticides. Unfortunately, there is a high degree of uncertainties in the assessment of the non-dietary exposure risk for residents, therefore risk communication passes through a deep understanding of exposure risk perception.
The objective of this pilot study is to assess citizens' risk perception of non-dietary exposure to pesticides, and to assist policy-makers and risk communicators in developing targeted awareness-raising materials for residents and bystanders.
Through a household survey, conducted in the rural area of the province of Piacenza (IT)we investigated knowledge, health risk perceptions, and information sources related to non-dietary exposure to agricultural pesticides in residents' indoor and outdoor environment. The factors that push individuals to give importance to several possible pollution sources and to mitigation measures or precaution, in order to protect themselves from possible exposure sources, were also investigated. Results show that even if the air quality of the residential area is not judged negatively, pesticides are perceived as air pollutants that could lead to an actual exposure and, are correlated to the health status. The perception of risk, however, does not seem to be dependent only on the distance between homes and fields. The interpretative hypothesis that the perception of the relationship between air quality and health is influenced by the cultural issue and by psycho-sensory factors and not supported by proper information, even if with some differences among age groups, it seems to be confirmed. To better transfer knowledge and communication, the commitment of those who are recognised as “competent” (doctors and researchers) is critical.
... Another source of heterogeneity in the treatment effects is the varying degrees of access to media and information. Digital media such as the internet and traditional media such as TVs can be important information sources (Calliera et al., 2019), and the availability of information plays an important role in personal health awareness, preferences, and health outcomes (Heiman and Lowengart, 2011). We represent the prefecture level of access to digital media through Baidu Search Index 11 (Baidu) keywords related to the "cadmium rice event," and the level of access to traditional media by the number of TV sets owned by a household (TVs). ...
The paper studies the effects of news media coverage of the 2013 cadmium rice event in China on consumer health outcomes and avoidance behavior. A difference-in-differences analysis shows that the event caused a 2% decrease in the incidence of joint or muscle pain (JMP), a major health outcome of cadmium pollution, in high cadmium-pollution regions relative to other regions. Individuals with higher income or with more access to traditional TV media or digital media experienced a greater level of JMP reduction. To defend against cadmium pollution, residents in cadmium-polluted regions switched their drinking water from unsafe sources such as surface water to the safe source of deep groundwater and significantly reduced their consumption of rice. Our findings demonstrate the importance of information provision as an informal approach to complement formal environmental regulation and the critical role of news media in environmental regulation and public health.
... To limit expenditures, low-cost method like burning leaves in their houses or simply chasing mosquitoes manually were preferred. Perceived toxicity is likely to be a factor too: the smell of some chemical products and bad experiences after their usage led some users avoiding them [54]. The high presence (with 85.20% reporting use) of ITNs in the households further motivates the low use of insecticides against mosquitoes. ...
Abstract Background Insecticides play a key role in rural farming; however, their over- or misuse has been linked with a negative impact on malaria vector control policies. This study was conducted amongst agricultural communities in Southern Côte d’Ivoire to identify which insecticides are used by local farmers and how it relates to the perception of farmers on malaria. Understanding the use of insecticides may help in designing awareness programme on mosquito control and pesticides management. Methods A questionnaire was administered to 1399 farming households across ten villages. Farmers were interviewed on their education, farming practices (e.g. crops cultivated, insecticides use), perception of malaria, and the different domestic strategies of mosquito control they use. Based on some pre-defined household assets, the socioeconomic status (SES) of each household was estimated. Statistical associations were calculated between different variables, showing significant risk factors. Results The educational level of farmers was significantly associated with their SES (p
... In the last 10 years however, residents' exposure has been an increasingly researched topic (Pubmed, 2021). This is likely due to growing concern among the population regarding pesticide usage (Calliera et al., 2019;Schaub et al., 2020;Zeitlin et al., 2021). But also due to efforts of policy makers to study residents' exposure (e.g. ...
Background
Pesticides can be transported from the site of application to homes via different routes and lead to exposure of residents, raising concerns regarding health effects. We built a deterministic model framework (OBOmod) to assess exposure of residents living near fields where pesticides are applied.
Methods
OBOmod connects five independent models operating on an hourly timescale and high spatial resolution (meters). Models include descriptions of spray drift, volatilization, atmospheric transport and dispersion, exchange between outdoor and indoor air and exchange between indoor air and dust. Fourteen bulb field applications under different weather conditions and comprising 12 pesticides were simulated. Each simulation included the first seven days after the application. The concentrations computed with OBOmod were compared with those measured in outdoor and indoor air and the amounts measured in indoor dust samples.
Results
Model evaluation indicated suitability of the developed framework to estimate outdoor and indoor air concentrations. For most pesticides, model accuracy was good. The framework explained about 30% to 95% of the temporal and spatial variability of air concentrations. For 20% of the simulations, the framework explained more than 35% of spatial variability of concentrations in dust. In general, OBOmod estimates remained within one order of magnitude from measured levels. Calculations showed that in addition to spray drift during application, volatilization from the field after spraying and pesticides in house dust are important routes for residents' exposure to pesticides.
Conclusions
Our framework covers many processes needed to calculate exposure of residents to pesticides. The evaluation phase shows that, with the exception of the dust model, the framework can be used in support of health and epidemiological studies, and can serve as a tool to support development of regulations and policy making regarding pesticide use.
... The acceptance of pesticide treatment was somewhat unexpected, firstly because of its overall extent (52.2% of all participants were somewhat favorable to these interventions), but also for the diffuse agreement among younger participants [37]. However, it should be stressed that some previous reports have questioned the otherwise seemingly obvious restraints of younger age groups towards pesticides [45,46]. ...
During the last decade, cases of West Nile Virus (WNV) have occurred in the Emilia Romagna Region (ERR). Even though the notification rates remain relatively low, ranging from 0.06 to 1.83 cases/100,000 inhabitants, the persistent pathogen's circulation in settings characterized by favorable environmental characteristics suggests that WNV is becoming endemic to the Po River Valley. This study assesses knowledge, attitudes, and preventive practices toward WNV prevention among residents from 10 high-risk municipalities from the provinces of Parma and Reggio Emilia (total population: 82,317 inhabitants, census 2020). A web-based survey, based on the health belief model, was performed during the month of January 2021, with a convenience sampling of 469 participants from a series of closed discussion groups on social media (i.e., 2.1% of the potential responders). A total of 243 participants knew the meaning of WNV: Of them, 61.3% were aware of previous WNV infections in ERR, 76.5% acknowledged WNV infection as a severe one, but only 31.3% expressed any worry about WNV. Our results irregularly report preventive practices, either collective (e.g., draining standing water from items and the environment, 50.7%; spraying pesticides around the home, 33.0%) or individual (e.g., use of skin repellants when going outdoors, 42.6%). In a multivariate analysis, performed through binary logistic regression, participants reporting any worry towards WNV were more likely to characterize WNV as a severe disease (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 20.288, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 5.083-80.972). On the contrary, respondents supporting community mosquito control programs were more likely among people working with animals/livestock (aOR = 13.948, 95%CI = 2.793-69.653), and supporting tax exemptions for mosquito control programs (aOR = 4.069, 95%CI 2.098-7.893). In conclusion, our results suggest that future interventions promoting WNV prevention among residents in ERR should focus on perceptions of vulnerability to WNV, emphasizing the benefits of personal protective behaviors.
... In addition, the income gap and education gap are speculated as potential moderators of these relationships. The effects of scientific knowledge and risk perception on behavioral decision making are emphasized by previous literature [15][16][17]. An individual's chance of making mistakes can be influenced by incomplete knowledge when solving problems, because they may choose incorrect strategies [18]. ...
Little is known about the preference for defensive consumption goods and their defensive attributes under environmental risks in developing countries. The paper takes the water purifier as an example of defensive consumption goods against heavy metal pollution risk from drinking water. Using a survey data in China, the discrete choice experiment method is employed to investigate rural farmers’ preferences for a water purifier. The scientific knowledge and risk perception effects are used to determine farmers’ preferences for the defensive attribute on a water purifier. Using a mixed logit model, rural farmers are found to prefer a water purifier with low price, free installation, a longer warranty period, and a heavy metal filter (i.e. the defensive attribute). Farmers’ neighborhood norm perception dominates the defensive preference while scientific knowledge do not work significantly. More specifically, the more the neighborhood norm perception is recognized, the more likely farmers are to improve their own preferences for the defensive attribute. Affected by the neighborhood norm perception, rural farmers’ preferences for the defensive attribute are found to be increased significantly as average income gaps narrow. The future defensive health policies should be devoted to improving environmental risk awareness and utilizing informal social networks in areas with high environmental risks.
Sustainability standards have not yet been commonly adopted by the whole wine chain, and indicator assessments are not widely spread. A deep understanding of how embedding sustainability into business while controlling costs related to the adoption of sustainability certification standards such as data collection and management practices could allow one to overcome most barriers relevant to sustainability compliance. Blockchain technology (BCT) may answer these needs. In order to verify BCT potential to be used as a sustainability management tool in the wine industry, with a qualitative triple bottom line research approach, this article explores the connections among BCT adoption in agri-food, issues posed by wine sustainability certification, and whether wine companies that already own a wine sustainability certification are prepared to adopt it. Results show that (1) the blockchain allows collecting data and information that are relevant for monitoring and improving sustainability: Soil and water features, climate conditions, treatment with pesticides and fertilizers, production process, traceability, transparency, labor and human rights, quality and safety, waste reduction, authenticity, relationship with stakeholders; (2) wine companies that already own a sustainability certification have little familiarity with blockchain applications (57.1%, n.21) and only 14% of the respondents support their intention to invest in BCT in the coming years; (3) the case study shows improvements in traceability and transparency along the supply chain and an increase in consumers’ trust that was reflected in sales growth, and the main costs are linked to complexity in data management.
A growing number of companies around the world have already adopted sustainable practices as the majority of consumers are increasingly concerned with environmental and health issues. Despite this, lack of knowledge in sustainability can represent a limit to a sustainable conversion of Italian wine companies.
This paper focuses on the development and suitability assessment of TERRITORY, a qualitative framework that assists sustainable management of winery farms with respect to biodiversity, neighbouring land use, agrochemical use, soil management, water management, landscape, site selection, heritage-cultural and aesthetic aspects, product quality and safety, human resource management, health of employees, community and consumers, economic repercussion of structures and territories, resource depletion, procurement practices and traceability. 47 wine companies have adopted the framework and its suitability has been tested and validated in a ten years trial. The present work reports the results of TERRITORY framework adoption in a winemaking cooperative, a grape and wine producer and a bottling firm, that respectively performed 76%, 92%, 62% (where 100% is maximum implementation of sustainable practices), with lower adherence in water, landscape and human resources management. The framework has driven wine companies towards improvements implementation: most relevant deal with a more effective communication to local community and consumers about health and safety, protection of biodiversity (towards a deeper knowledge of its territorial features), territorial values enforcement and improved communication. From the results it emerges that the framework guides the structural transformation of wine farms towards sustainable production and management by assisting the wine producers in identifying emerging opportunities in wine sector, such as fostering network with local communities, defining better soil, and water management through a multi-actor approach. Furthermore, it has been adopted in addressing the selection of quantitative indicators to adopt and monitoring campaigns.
Little is known about how bystanders perceive risks from pesticide use in areas with frequent aerial spraying of pesticides. This research aims to better understand how bystanders (school workers) from three counties of the Limón province in Costa Rica, who did not have a contractual relationship with agricultural production, perceive risks of pesticides in the areas where they work and live. A face-to-face survey was carried out among 475 school workers, of whom 455 completed all 33 questions on pesticide risk perception. An exploratory factor analysis characterized underlying perceptions of pesticide exposure. Nine factors explained 40% of total variance and concerned severity and magnitude of perceived risk, manageability, benefits and support of pesticide use, amongst others. We subsequently analyzed what variables explained the five factors with satisfactory internal consistency, using separate multivariable linear regression models. Older school workers, (male) elementary teachers, and women school workers (particularly from schools situated near agricultural fields with aerial spraying of pesticides), felt greater severity and/or magnitude of risk from pesticide use. This study shows that bystanders are concerned about health risks from pesticide use. Their risk perceptions are not only shaped by gender and age like previously reported in the literature, but also by job title and geographical context. Understanding of what hazards people care about and how they deal with them is essential for successful risk management, bystanders should therefore be considered as a relevant actor in debates around pesticide issues and for informing the development of regulations and risk reduction strategies.
In 2013, EFSA published a comprehensive systematic review of epidemiological studies published from 2006 to 2012 investigating the association between pesticide exposure and many health outcomes. Despite the considerable amount of epidemiological information available, the quality of much of this evidence was rather low and many limitations likely affect the results so firm conclusions cannot be drawn. Studies that do not meet the ‘recognised standards’ mentioned in the Regulation (EU) No 1107/2009 are thus not suited for risk assessment. In this Scientific Opinion, the EFSA Panel on Plant Protection Products and their residues (PPR Panel) was requested to assess the methodological limitations of pesticide epidemiology studies and found that poor exposure characterisation primarily defined the major limitation. Frequent use of case–control studies as opposed to prospective studies was considered another limitation. Inadequate definition or deficiencies in health outcomes need to be avoided and reporting of findings could be improved in some cases. The PPR Panel proposed recommendations on how to improve the quality and reliability of pesticide epidemiology studies to overcome these limitations and to facilitate an appropriate use for risk assessment. The Panel recommended the conduct of systematic reviews and meta‐analysis, where appropriate, of pesticide observational studies as useful methodology to understand the potential hazards of pesticides, exposure scenarios and methods for assessing exposure, exposure–response characterisation and risk characterisation. Finally, the PPR Panel proposed a methodological approach to integrate and weight multiple lines of evidence, including epidemiological data, for pesticide risk assessment. Biological plausibility can contribute to establishing causation.
Improper use of pesticides among farmers has caused food safety issues which are serious threats to public health in China. A central question concerns how to motivate farmers to self-regulate their pesticide usage. The paper aims to identify the influence of an internal driving factor, i.e., perceived benefits, and an external driving factor, i.e., subjective norm, on farmers’ safe pesticide behaviors, and whether the two factors are moderated by the exposure to information on government policies and the market, based on a sample of 971 farmers selected from 5 Chinese provinces. The results revealed that farmers’ safe pesticide usage was predominately driven by perceived benefits whereas external pressure or subjective norm did not play much of a role. Interaction effects were found between the exposure to market information and perceived benefits, and also between subjective norm and exposure to government policy. Extensions agencies are recommended to effectively convey to farmers the benefits to follow safe pesticide practices. Meanwhile, surveillance and monitoring systems should be established so that the prices of their agricultural products are reflected by the quality of the products.
The worsening of groundwater quality is a huge problem for some regions, especially where a karst aquifer system is the most important water resource because of the deficiency of a well-developed superficial water supply. In this study the chemical quality of a deep aquifer of the Salento peninsula (Southern Italy), where a shallow aquifer and an extensive deep aquifer are exploited as a source of drinking water and irrigation water, was monitored. The indicator used to assess the sustainability of pollution produce by human activities is the " grey water footprint " (GWF) which measures the amount of water required to assimilate a polluting load produced from anthropic activity. The GWF, calculated for each chemical parameter, shows a widespread contamination by Mercury (Hg), Vanadium (V) and Ammonium (NH 4 +) with concentrations above the limits (Lgs. D. 31/2001). The high Mercury and Vanadium concentrations may thus be associated with anthropic pressures on the aquifer, while Ammonium derives mainly from fertilizers used in agriculture. The situation that emerged involves reflections on the continuous human pressure on natural resources. Therefore, the management of groundwater quality requires a multidisciplinary approach focused on identifying the measures necessary to protect our water resources.
The pesticide risk analysis process is well regulated in the EU, especially in relation to placing on the market authorisation procedures, but in order to avoid risks for human health and environment in the use phase, information on how these substances are employed and on socio-behavioural factors that can influence the exposure have to be taken into account. To better explore reasons about the gap between risk assessment and risk management, within the EU FP7 Health and Environmental Risks: Organisation, Integration and Cross-fertilisation of Scientific Knowledge (HEROIC) project, a stepwise stakeholder's consultation process was developed using a mixed approach in two different phases (survey and roundtable). We elicited stakeholder views regarding factors that could limit the pesticide risk assessment phase linked on how the knowledge is produced and the way the data are used in risk management and in risk communication, also taking into account qualitative factors such as responsibility, trust and behaviours, which could have impact on risk assessment policies. Activities deployed indicate that some changes and interaction are needed to better define the problems at the formulation stage, and the type of information risk assessor has to provide, to better inform risk manager in addressing different societal needs, to strengthen the credibility of the process of risk assessment and improve the effectiveness of policies. Integrations between disciplines may initially increase the complexity but in turn will provide a better and more useful estimation of the risk, reinforce transparency and drive a more efficient use of risk management resources.
A systematic review was performed to identify any associations between pesticide exposure
and the occurrence (both prevalence and incidence) of airways disease (asthma and chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease) and wheezing symptoms.
PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, CINAHL, Google Scholar and the Cochrane Database of
Systematic Reviews were searched between September 2010 and October 2010 for papers with the inclusion criteria of English language, published after 1990, peer-reviewed and nondietary exposure. From a total of 4390 papers identified, 42 were included after initial assessment of content. After evaluating the included studies for quality, those considered to be at high risk of bias were excluded, leaving a total of 23 relevant papers.
Results suggest that exposure to pesticides may be associated with prevalent asthma, but methodological
issues, such as cross-sectional/case–control design, measurements of exposure and limited adjustment for confounders, limit the strength of the evidence base in this area. The association between pesticide exposure and asthma appears to be more evident and consistent in children than in adults. Exposure to pesticides may be associated with COPD; however, the strength of evidence for an association with COPD is weaker than for asthma. As the exposure metrics within each health end-point varied across studies, no metaanalyses were carried out.
Pesticides are widely used in agricultural production to prevent or control pests, diseases, weeds, and other plant pathogens in an effort to reduce or eliminate yield losses and maintain high product quality. Although pesticides are developed through very strict regulation processes to function with reasonable certainty and minimal impact on human health and the environment, serious concerns have been raised about health risks resulting from occupational exposure and from residues in food and drinking water. Occupational exposure to pesticides often occurs in the case of agricultural workers in open fields and greenhouses, workers in the pesticide industry, and exterminators of house pests. Exposure of the general population to pesticides occurs primarily through eating food and drinking water contaminated with pesticide residues, whereas substantial exposure can also occur in or around the home. Regarding the adverse effects on the environment (water, soil and air contamination from leaching, runoff, and spray drift, as well as the detrimental effects on wildlife, fish, plants, and other non-target organisms), many of these effects depend on the toxicity of the pesticide, the measures taken during its application, the dosage applied, the adsorption on soil colloids, the weather conditions prevailing after application, and how long the pesticide persists in the environment. Therefore, the risk assessment of the impact of pesticides either on human health or on the environment is not an easy and particularly accurate process because of differences in the periods and levels of exposure, the types of pesticides used (regarding toxicity and persistence), and the environmental characteristics of the areas where pesticides are usually applied. Also, the number of the criteria used and the method of their implementation to assess the adverse effects of pesticides on human health could affect risk assessment and would possibly affect the characterization of the already approved pesticides and the approval of the new compounds in the near future. Thus, new tools or techniques with greater reliability than those already existing are needed to predict the potential hazards of pesticides and thus contribute to reduction of the adverse effects on human health and the environment. On the other hand, the implementation of alternative cropping systems that are less dependent on pesticides, the development of new pesticides with novel modes of action and improved safety profiles, and the improvement of the already used pesticide formulations towards safer formulations (e.g., microcapsule suspensions) could reduce the adverse effects of farming and particularly the toxic effects of pesticides. In addition, the use of appropriate and well-maintained spraying equipment along with taking all precautions that are required in all stages of pesticide handling could minimize human exposure to pesticides and their potential adverse effects on the environment.
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After a thorough investigation, the Editors have concluded that the acceptance of this article was partly based upon the positive advice of one illegitimate reviewer report. The report was submitted from an email account which was provided by the corresponding author C.A. Damalas as a suggested reviewer during the submission of the article. Although purportedly a real reviewer account, the Editors have concluded that this was not of an appropriate, independent reviewer.
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This study investigates how field practices in handling and applying pesticides influence the long-term patterns of professional agricultural operators' exposure to pesticides. It presents the first use of a comprehensive pesticide application dataset collected on behalf of the European Food Safety Authority with 50 operators selected to cover arable and orchard cropping systems in Greece, Lithuania and the UK. Exposure was predicted based on the harmonised Agricultural Operator Exposure Model (AOEM) and compared with Acceptable Operator Exposure Levels (AOELs). The amount of pesticides handled by individual operators across a cropping season was largest in the UK arable and orchard systems (median 580 and 437 kg active substance, respectively), intermediate for the arable systems in Greece and Lithuania (151 and 77 kg, respectively), and smallest in the Greek orchard system (22 kg). Overall, 30 of the 50 operators made at least one application within a day with predicted exposure greater than the AOEL. The rate of AOEL exceedance was greatest in the Greek cropping systems (8 orchard operators, 2.8–16% of total applications; 7 arable operators, 1.1–14% of total applications), and least for the Lithuanian arable system (2 operators, 2.9–4.5% of total applications). Instances in Greece when predicted exposure exceed the AOEL were strongly influenced by the widespread use of wettable powder formulations (> 40% of the total pesticide active substance handled for 11 of the 20 Greek operators). In contrast, the total area of land treated with an active substance on a single day was more important in the UK and Lithuania (95th percentile observed value was 132 and 19 ha day− 1 for UK arable and orchard systems, respectively). Study findings can be used to evaluate current assumptions in regulatory exposure calculations and to identify situations with potential risk that require further analysis including measurements of exposure to validate model estimations.
In 2009, the European Union adopted the Directive on Sustainable Use of pesticides (SUD, Directive 2009/128/EC) establishing a framework for achieving a sustainable use of Plant Protection Products (PPPs) through reducing the risks and impacts of PPP use on human health and the environment, promoting integrated pest management and stimulating effective non-chemical alternatives. The core idea of the SUD is that it is necessary to monitor the use of PPPs through the implementation of an appropriate set of risk indicators to monitor progress and trends in risk reduction within the Member States. To contribute to this direction, following a comprehensive analysis of the risk (including procedures of risk assessment and risk management) and involving stakeholders in the decision process, specific toolboxes of practical indirect risk indicators of exposure of Operators, Workers, Bystanders and Residents were developed and are now available to be used by Member States (MSs) based on their specific context.
The EU Directive on the sustainable use of pesticides (EU128/2009/EC) requires European Member States to develop training activities targeting occupational exposure to pesticides, and communication material aimed at residents and bystanders. Risk perceptions, knowledge and attitudes associated with passive and occupational exposure to pesticide potentially influence the extent to which different stakeholders adopt self-protective behaviour. A methodology for assessing the link between attitudes, adoption of self-protective behaviours and exposure was developed and tested. A survey was implemented in the Greece, Italy and the UK, and targeted stakeholders associated with pesticide exposure linked to orchards, greenhouse crops and arable crops respectively. The results indicated that the adoption of protective measures is low for residents and bystanders, with the exception of residents in Greece, when compared to operators and workers, who tend to follow recommended safety practices. A regression analysis was used to examine the factors affecting the probability of adopting protective measures as well the as the level of exposure in the case of operators and workers where data are available. The results indicate that the likelihood of engaging in self-protective behaviour is not significantly affected by perceptions of own health being affected by pesticides for residents and bystanders. However, operators who perceive that their heath has been negatively affected by the use of pesticides are found to be more likely to adopt self-protective behaviours. Gender and country differences, in perceptions, attitudes and self-protection are also observed. Recommendations for improved communication, in particular for vulnerable groups, are provided.
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The literature on the risk perceptions, knowledge levels, and attitudes of operators, workers, and residents in relation to non-dietary exposure to agricultural pesticides is reviewed. No literature was identified in relation to bystander exposure. Research has primarily been conducted on participants in developing countries and migrant workers in the United States. For operators and workers, illiteracy, poverty, and a perception that exposure to pesticides is an inevitable part of their work results in limited adoption of safety precautions while using and storing pesticides. As a result, risk communication activities aimed at operator and workers need to take account of the wider socioeconomic and cultural conditions in which workers and operators are working and living. There is less research focused on residents’ and bystanders’ perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors. The lack of European data in general, and residents’ and bystanders’ data in particular, represents a knowledge gap that is pertinent to emerging EU legislation requiring residents’ and bystanders’ inclusion in pesticide risk assessment. This review provides a comprehensive overview that can assist policy-makers, and risk communicators in the development of targeted training and awareness-raising material for operators, workers, bystanders, and residents. Areas for future research are suggested.
Research into farmers’ attitudes and motivations in the past has tended to be subjective and theoretically rather imprecise. This paper presents findings from research based on the structured social-psychology model, the Theory of Planned Behaviour, into farmers’ conservation-related behaviour. Responses from a survey of 100 Bedfordshire farmers were analysed to identify the underlying determinants of behaviour and to comprehend farmers’ attitudes. Farmers with greater environmental awareness, members of the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group, are more influenced by conservation-related concerns and less by farm management concerns than other farmers. They appear also to be more influenced by farming and conservation referent groups, grants and conservation advice.
In September 2009, the Council of the European Union adopted the Directive on Sustainable Use of Pesticides (SUD). The core idea is that in order to achieve sustainable use of pesticides, it is necessary that everyone is conscious about the risks to both human health and the environment associated with the use of plant protection products. Therefore, in the SUD, training and raising awareness play key roles in order to achieve the objectives of the directive. In this sense, the European-founded project BROWSE (Bystanders, Residents, Operators and WorkerS Exposure models for plant protection products) has, as one of its main objectives, to contribute to the implementation of the SUD through the development and dissemination of communication materials for training and raising awareness. For this reason, a consultation process was implemented involving all relevant stakeholders in order to identify their opinions regarding the subjects to be prioritised, the factors influencing pesticide exposure to be focused on and the most suitable formats to develop training and awareness-raising material as well as identification of target groups. To collect the required information, participants were asked to answer an electronic questionnaire (giving the possibility through several debates for additional comments). The collected findings and the ensuing debates are described in this article and are going to be taken into account in the development of the BROWSE training and communication material for the raising of awareness.
Pesticides almost always occur in mixtures with other ones. The toxicological effects of low-dose pesticide mixtures on the human health are largely unknown, although there are growing concerns about their safety. The combined toxicological effects of two or more components of a pesticide mixture can take one of three forms: independent, dose addition or interaction. Not all mixtures of pesticides with similar chemical structures produce additive effects; thus, if they act on multiple sites their mixtures may produce different toxic effects. The additive approach also fails when evaluating mixtures that involve a secondary chemical that changes the toxicokinetics of the pesticide as a result of its increased activation or decreased detoxification, which is followed by an enhanced or reduced toxicity, respectively. This review addresses a number of toxicological interactions of pesticide mixtures at a molecular level. Examples of such interactions include the postulated mechanisms for the potentiation of pyrethroid, carbaryl and triazine herbicides toxicity by organophosphates; how the toxicity of some organophosphates can be potentiated by other organophosphates or by previous exposure to organochlorines; the synergism between pyrethroid and carbamate compounds and the antagonism between triazine herbicides and prochloraz. Particular interactions are also addressed, such as those of pesticides acting as endocrine disruptors, the cumulative toxicity of organophosphates and organochlorines resulting in estrogenic effects and the promotion of organophosphate-induced delayed polyneuropathy.
One of the most perplexing problems in risk analysis is why some relatively minor risks or risk events, as assessed by technical experts, often elicit strong public concerns and result in substantial impacts upon society and economy. This article sets forth a conceptual framework that seeks to link systematically the technical assessment of risk with psychological, sociological, and cultural perspectives of risk perception and risk-related behavior. The main thesis is that hazards interact with psychological, social, institutional, and cultural processes in ways that may amplify or attenuate public responses to the risk or risk event. A structural description of the social amplification of risk is now possible. Amplification occurs at two stages: in the transfer of information about the risk, and in the response mechanisms of society. Signals about risk are processed by individual and social amplification stations, including the scientist who communicates the risk assessment, the news media, cultural groups, interpersonal networks, and others. Key steps of amplifications can be identified at each stage. The amplified risk leads to behavioral responses, which, in turn, result in secondary impacts. Models are presented that portray the elements and linkages in the proposed conceptual framework.
This paper investigates the effects of information from different sources on farmers’ attitudes regarding the effects of pesticides and other agricultural chemicals on environmental quality using a survey of 2700 farmers in three mid-Atlantic states. Farmers’ beliefs are similar to those of the general public on average, but are distributed more uniformly, suggesting that the farm community may be more polarized on environmental issues than the general public. Farmers regard first-hand sources of information such as direct field observation and pesticide labels as being the most important. Chemical dealers and extension rank next in importance. Farmers who attached greater importance to information from news media and extension expressed greater environmental concern. Farmers who found information from chemical dealers more important expressed greater concern about injury to wildlife and pesticides in drinking water but less concern about general environmental quality problems associated with agricultural chemicals.
This article reviews recent literature on the analysis of several contaminants related to the industrial development in indoor air in the framework of the REACH project. In this second part, the attention is focused on emergent contaminants and biocides. Among these chemicals, phthalates, polybrominated and phosphate flame retardants, fragrances, pesticides, as well as other emerging pollutants, are increasing their environmental and health concern and are extensively found in indoor air. Some of them are suspected to behave as priority organic pollutants (POPs) and/or endocrine disrupting compounds (EDC), and can be found both in air and associated to the suspended particulate matter (PM) and settled dust. Main literature considered for this review is from the last ten years, reporting analytical developments and applications regarding the considered contaminants in the indoor environment. Sample collection and pretreatment, analyte extraction or desorption, clean-up procedures, determination techniques, and performance results are summarized and discussed.
Farmworkers in the United States constitute a population at risk for serious environmental and occupational illness and injury as well as health disparities typically associated with poverty. Pesticides are a major source of occupational injury and illness to which farmworkers are exposed. Efforts to provide safety training for farmworkers have not been fully evaluated. Based on the Health Belief Model, this analysis examines how safety information affects perceived pesticide safety risk and control among farmworkers and how perceived risk and control affect farmworker knowledge and safety behavior. Data are based on interviews conducted in 1999 with 293 farmworkers in eastern North Carolina as part of the Preventing Agricultural Chemical Exposure in North Carolina Farmworkers' Project. Perceived pesticide risk and perceived pesticide control scales were developed from interview items. Analysis of the items and scales showed that farmworkers had fairly high levels of perceived risk from pesticides and perceived control of pesticide safety. Receiving information about pesticide safety (e.g., warning signs) reduced perceived risk and increased perceived control. Pesticide exposure knowledge was strongly related to perceived risk. However, perceived risk had a limited relationship to safety knowledge and was not related to safety behavior. Perceived control was not related to pesticide exposure knowledge, but was strongly related to safety knowledge and safety behavior. A key tenet of environmental justice is that communities must have control over their environment. These results argue that for pesticide safety education to be effective, it must address issues of farmworker control in implementing workplace pesticide safety.
Dati ambientali. La qualità dell´ambiente in Emilia-Romagna
- Arpae Emilia-Romagna
Arpae Emilia-Romagna, 2016. Dati ambientali. La qualità dell´ambiente in Emilia-Romagna, Ed. 2017.
Applying behavioural sciences to EU policy-making. European Commission, Joint Research Centre Institute for Prospective Technological Studies
- R Bavel
- B Herrmann
- G Esposito
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Professionals who can provide proper information about pesticide
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Fig. 10. Professionals who can provide proper information about pesticide.
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