LAUSR

BACKGROUND In the present study, the rate of dermal transfer of pesticides to agricultural workers occurring via contact with sprayed hard surfaces was investigated. Cotton gloves were used as dosimeters to collect residues from hard surfaces contaminated by pesticides in greenhouses. Dosimeters, either dry or moistened, were in contact with wood, metal and plastic surfaces that had previously been sprayed. The experimental approach applied mimicked typical hand contact. Moistened cotton gloves were used to simulate hand moisture from dew/condensation or rainfall. The effect of total duration of contact on the final hand exposure via transfer was investigated. RESULTS The higher duration contact tested (50 s) resulted in higher transfer rates for metal and plastic surfaces; no such effect was noted in the case of the wood surface. The pesticide amount transferred from the metal and plastic surfaces to wet gloves was greater than that transferred to dry gloves. Such a trend was not observed for the wood surface. Transfer rates varied from 0.46 to 77.62% and from 0.17 to 16.90% for wet and dry samples, respectively. CONCLUSION The current study has generated new data to quantify the proportion of pesticide deposits dislodged from three different non-crop surfaces when in contact with dry or wet gloves. © 2018 Crown copyright. Pest Management Science © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.