Pesticide exposure of operators during mixing and loading a drone: towards a stratified exposure assessment

Background: This study evaluated operator exposure during mixing and loading phases of drone-based pesticide application, specifically examining potential and actual exposure during handling of concentrated and diluted pesticide products. It aims to clarify the differences in exposure levels between these two scenarios with implications for exposure risk assessment.

Results: Results demonstrate that mixing concentrated products poses the primary exposure, while transferring diluted mixtures to the drone tank results in significantly lower exposure figures. Personal protective equipment (PPE) significantly mitigates potential exposure, particularly during mixing. Hand exposure contributes to 50-75% of total exposure.

Conclusion: These data facilitate refined exposure and risk assessments by distinguishing between handling concentrated and diluted products, allowing a stratification of exposure for these scenarios and enabling the application of appropriate dermal absorption rates for each scenario. The results also confirm that one layer of work clothing and protective gloves significantly reduce the operator exposure, which highlights the importance of wearing adequate protective clothing and gloves by operators, especially during the mixing phase. These insights contribute to the development of novel science-based safety assessments and improved operator protection in drone-assisted pesticide application. © 2024 Bayer AG. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.