Evaluation of potential dermal exposure of pesticide spray operators in greenhouses by use of visible tracers

In the present study, the potential dermal and inhalation exposure of the operator was measured, following simulation of insecticide application with the dye tracer Sunset Yellow in greenhouse cucumbers and tomatoes. For the monitoring of operator exposure, the whole body technique was used. The potential inhalation exposure was measured with a personal air sampler equipped with a glass fiber filter. The potential dermal operator exposure ranged from 84.4 to 526.7 ml of spray solution (s.s.)/h for the whole body and from 18.5 to 62.5 ml s.s./h for hands in the case of greenhouse cucumbers. The respective inhalation exposure was between 0.17 and 1.0 ml s.s./h. For greenhouse tomatoes, the potential body exposure was in the range of 22.4 to 62.1 ml s.s./h. The hand exposure varied from 5.5 to 6.1 ml s.s./h. The potential inhalation exposure was in the range of 0.33 to 0.43 ml s.s./h. The potential dermal operator exposure is a highly variable parameter, with a variation factor higher than 100% in many cases. One of the most critical factors for the determination of both potential dermal and inhalation exposure is the application pressure. Other field and operational conditions, including unpredictable factors. are also important for the determination of operator exposure levels. The measured potential dermal operator exposure values were above the level,, of exposure estimated with mathematical models.