Pesticide Risk Assessment, Emerging and Re-Emerging Problems

A special issue of Toxics (ISSN 2305-6304). This special issue belongs to the section "Agrochemicals and Food Toxicology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 8806

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, International Centre for Rural Health of the Santi Paolo e Carlo ASST of Milan, 20142 Milano, Italy
Interests: occupational health; human toxicology; public health; worker safety; occupational health surveillance
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Guest Editor
Analytical Toxicology and Metabonomics Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine of Università degli Studi di Milano at Ospedale San Paolo, 20142 Milan, Italy
Interests: analytical chemistry; mass spectrometry; toxicology; heavy metals; redox biomarkers; workplace contaminants
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Half of the eight billion people in the world live and work in rural areas. They are mainly engaged in agriculture, which is considered by the WHO as one of the three most dangerous human activities, together with healthcare and the building sectors. Rural populations all over the world face several hazards in their daily lives and working activities. Among them, particular attention must be addressed at pesticides: these compounds must necessarily be toxic because they are used for controlling undesired living species, and, differing from other chemicals, must be spread in the environment in order to reach their targets. Since their toxicity is not specific for the target organisms, their use can endanger different living species, including humans. In this light, risk assessment of pesticide use is fundamental, but new challenges are appearing in this field: the pesticide market is quickly changing and new compounds are being introduced into the market, so a sound risk assessment for these compounds must be organized. Developed and industrialized countries have very structured systems for pesticide authorization, but similar systems are not affordable for developing and in-transition countries, which must rely on their own capacities or assessments performed out of their borders. Moreover, due to economic problems, obsolete pesticides are still marketed in these countries, bringing about specific risks. Due to several reasons, risk assessment in this field is quite complicated because it is expensive and technically difficult due to the great variability of the application scenarios, and, in any case, biological and environmental monitoring are performed after exposure occurs and not before. On the other hand, the big improvement of ITs makes new tools for risk assessment now available, mainly as models. Models represent potentially cost-effective and user-friendly tools that are adequate to perform risk assessment, but, at present, they are mainly addressed at the premarketing phase, with models that are usable during daily activities being absent but needed.

All these topics will be addressed in this Special Issue, which will accept research papers, commentaries, and reviews.

Prof. Dr. Claudio Colosio
Dr. Federico Maria Rubino
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • agriculture
  • occupational risks
  • pesticides
  • risk assessment
  • models

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 1799 KiB  
Article
Alzheimer’s Disease Mortality Rate: Correlation with Socio-Economic and Environmental Factors
by Valfran da Silva Lima, Yasmin Gabriele Ferreira, Júlio Cezar de Oliveira, Vanessa de Almeida Raia, Ludmila Barbosa Bandeira Rodrigues Emerick, Lucinéia Reuse Albiero, Valéria Dornelles Gindri Sinhorin and Guilherme Luz Emerick
Toxics 2024, 12(8), 586; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics12080586 - 13 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1444
Abstract
The progressive increase in the number of deaths caused by Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in Brazil and around the world between 2010 and 2020 raises questions in scientific society. At the same time, there is also an increase in life expectancy at birth (LEB). [...] Read more.
The progressive increase in the number of deaths caused by Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in Brazil and around the world between 2010 and 2020 raises questions in scientific society. At the same time, there is also an increase in life expectancy at birth (LEB). Thus, the aim of this study was, for the first time, to compare the increase in AD mortality rate (ADMR) in Brazilian regions over the years 2010 to 2020 with the increase in LEB, and investigate the possible correlation between these demographic transition phenomena and pesticide sales and exposure during this period. Data were extracted from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), from the Department of Informatics and Technology of the Brazilian Ministry of Health (DATASUS) and from the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA). There was a significant increase in life expectancy at birth and in ADMR over the years between 2010 and 2020 in all Brazilian regions, with the female population in the South region being the most affected. In conclusion, there is a strong positive correlation between the increase in ADMR and LEB; ADMR and Human Development Index (HDI) and ADMR and pesticide sales and exposure in Brazil over the years studied. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pesticide Risk Assessment, Emerging and Re-Emerging Problems)
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28 pages, 3112 KiB  
Article
In Vitro Human Dermal Absorption Studies on Pesticides in Complex Mixtures: Investigation of Guidance Criteria and Possible Impact Parameters
by Christina Pieper, Nadine Engel, Korinna Wend, Carsten Kneuer and Sabine Martin
Toxics 2024, 12(4), 248; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics12040248 - 28 Mar 2024
Viewed by 1259
Abstract
Pesticides must not pose unacceptable risks to human health, so risk assessments are conducted before products are authorised. Dermal exposure is often the main route of intake, so estimating realistic and trustworthy dermal absorption values is crucial for risk assessment. Although there are [...] Read more.
Pesticides must not pose unacceptable risks to human health, so risk assessments are conducted before products are authorised. Dermal exposure is often the main route of intake, so estimating realistic and trustworthy dermal absorption values is crucial for risk assessment. Although there are agreed test guidelines for in vitro dermal absorption studies, not every product is tested due to cost reasons. The present dataset consists of 945 individual in vitro experiments on the dermal absorption of human skin with 179 active substances of pesticides in 353 different mixtures, including concentrates and dilutions. The dataset was evaluated to identify the possible impacts of experimental conditions and physico-chemical properties on dermal absorption. The dataset was also analysed to assess the appropriateness of the pro rata correction for untested dilutions, and the set concentration cut-off to decide on the dilution status for choosing a default value on dermal absorption. The study found that the implementation of specific guidelines improved the harmonisation of study conduct, with support for approaches such as pro rata correction and default values. Further analysis of the specific co-formulants may identify influencing factors that may be more important than the experimental variables. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pesticide Risk Assessment, Emerging and Re-Emerging Problems)
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Review

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26 pages, 3645 KiB  
Review
Pesticides vs. Biopesticides: From Pest Management to Toxicity and Impacts on the Environment and Human Health
by Gabriel Mihăiță Daraban, Raluca-Maria Hlihor and Daniela Suteu
Toxics 2023, 11(12), 983; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics11120983 - 4 Dec 2023
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 5399
Abstract
The environmental pollution that occurs in direct response to the widespread use of man-made/conventional pesticides results from many chemicals that require a long period of time, often decades, to degrade. The synthetic nature of pesticides also harms animals, beneficial insects, microorganisms, and plants, [...] Read more.
The environmental pollution that occurs in direct response to the widespread use of man-made/conventional pesticides results from many chemicals that require a long period of time, often decades, to degrade. The synthetic nature of pesticides also harms animals, beneficial insects, microorganisms, and plants, as well as humans. Fortunately, however, there are many natural pesticides, the so-called biopesticides, that are also effective against pests and more importantly, do not interfere with the well-being of ecosystems. Consequently, most biopesticides are safer for use around people and pets than man-made pesticides because, for example, they can be easily washed away from fruits and vegetables. The natural habitat is a rich resource with a wide selection of plants, many of which are also used to treat diseases in humans, animals, and plants. Out of concern for public health, environmental safety, and the stringent regulation of pesticide residues in agricultural commodities, the use of biopesticides is becoming increasingly important, but questions regarding potential pest resistance to these products may arise, just as is the case with conventional pesticides. Therefore, the performance and potential role of biopesticides in the management of plant pests should be prioritized due to their sustainability and importance to human and environmental welfare. In this review, we propose to highlight a scenario in which we discuss in detail the main constraints posed by the use of pesticides compared to biopesticides, starting with issues regarding their definition and continuing on to issues related to their toxicity and their impact on the environment and human health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pesticide Risk Assessment, Emerging and Re-Emerging Problems)
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