Usage factors, pesticide

Pesticide usage factors include those factors needed to characterize the amount of pesticide an individual is potentially exposed to each day, as well as the duration, frequency and interval of potential exposures. For example, for mixer/loaders/ applicators, this would include hectares typically treated per day, typical application rates, types of equipment used, and whether application is conducted by the farmer or a custom applicator. 

It is recognized that regional differences in pesticide usage factors make it unlikely that such factors will become fully harmonized internationally. However, there is good consensns internationally on what the key usage factors are (Schipper, 2001). 

Sustainable Agriculture. The third factor that will influence the future of pesticide sales is the emphasis on sustainable agriculture systems that rely on more natural pest control methods and reduced pesticide usage. These are integrated systems that requke nutrients and crop protection chemicals from on-farm natural sources and cultural methods. Many current sustainable farms are site-specific systems that may depend on the soils in a... 

Where defensible, harmonization of exposure factors, including physiological, pesticide usage and lifestyle factors. 

Exposure factors The inputs used to translate unit exposure values (p-g/kg a.i. handled) to estimates of an individual s daily exposure (pg/kg b.wt./d), which can then be compared to no effect levels in mammalian toxicology studies or acceptable operator exposure levels (AOELs). Exposure factors can be categorized as (i) physiological (inhalation rates, body weights and lifespan), (ii) pesticide usage (dmation of activity, acreage Peated per day, etc.) and (iii) lifestyle (activity patterns and co-occurrence information) (Norman, Ch. 10). 

A three-year project Impact of transgenic crop cultivation on the use of agrochemicals and the environment was recently initiated under the umbrella of lUPAC. Within this project, the environmental impact of altered pesticide usage patterns on genetically modified crops will be assessed. To this end, data on the actual use of pesticides on GM crops will be collected. Most of these data, which are available from literature and the Internet, pertain to the American and Canadian areas of cultivation. Where possible, data will also be collected that have been obtained in other nations where GM crops are grown. Other factors than GM crops that may have contributed to altered use of pesticides (e.g. new registrations) will be taken into account and their impact compared with that of GM crop adoption. 

Much NCRPIAP research has been directed toward the determination of the risk factors related to applicator and field worker exposure to pesticides. Several such research papers have been presented In this symposium and others have already appeared In print. This presentation may reiterate some data that have already been reported and attempt to correlate such with pesticide use and personal protection data obtained through surveys. Pesticide usage data reported herein are that obtained In the 1982 survey of major field crops In Ohio (10) but are applicable to most states, particularly in the North Central Region, involved In corn, soybean, grain and alfalfa production as noted in the regional survey of 1978 (11). 

The danger to domestic animals, including pets, is an important hazard in the use of all newer economic poisons. Drift dusts or sprays from carelessly applied materials may set back the useful development of many valuable chemicals. Only recently have authorities finally decided that we should slow down on the use of DDT on cows until we know more about the occurrence of the chemical in rtiilk, butter, and steaks. Our sportsmen and, incidentally, a major economic factor in our pleasant way of life—the fish, game, and wildlife activities—are part and parcel of the problem of chemical usage in forests and streams. We need continued and expanded investigations of the effects of the newer pesticides on wild life. 

From the data available on the Internet, it may not be possible to decouple Bt cotton from other factors that may have contributed to general changes in the use of cotton pesticides following Bt cotton adoption. Changes in specific substances, however, can be linked to Bt cotton adoption, such as the decrease in the use of Gossyplure, a pheromone for the control of pink bollworm, in Arizona. Similarly, the increase in Roundup usage in... 

Once the collection of a regular set of usage statistics has been established, changes over time in use on particular crops (Figure 2.2), or of particular pesticides (Figure 2.3), can be monitored. These may result from several factors, some or all of which may interact to give annual variations in use ... 

The establishment of a statistically sound data-set on usage allows an evaluation of likely operator exposure, as realistic work rates can be derived from the data collected, such as average field size, area sprayed per operator per day, amount of pesticide handled per day, etc. All of these factors are vital in refining predicted operator exposure models, and are discussed at length by Hamey (2001). 

Today, sample preparation is maybe the step that most influences the accuracy of the whole analytic method, with the extraction of pesticide residues from environmental matrices the key factor to get it. SPE is a fully accepted technique that allows sample preparation time to be halved or better and reduces solvent usage by up to 90% compared to liquid-liquid... 

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