The influence of crop type on the exposure of nursery workers to pesticides

\nSeveral factors may influence the exposure of nursery workers to pesticides during their work. This study investigates the influence of crop type on potential exposure and associated health risks among ten nursery workers from ten different nurseries in Johor, Malaysia. Personal interviews and questionnaire surveys were used to collect various information from the selected nursery workers in August and September 2023, together with the collection of pesticide labels. The collected data were input parameters in the appropriate exposure model to quantify their daily exposure and then assessed against the regulatory limit. Overall, individuals treated 1-13 different plant species on 2-9 spray days with 1-4 products containing 1-3 active substances. Ornamental nursery workers had the highest estimated daily exposures (30 applications; mean: 0.05 mg kg-bw-1 day-1), followed by flowers (11 applications; mean: 0.02 mg kg-bw-1 day-1) and fruits (6 applications; mean: 0.01 mg kg-bw-1 day-1). Thirty applications exceeded the respective regulatory limits (ornamentals>flowers>fruits: 20>9>1), indicating a possible health risk. While the use of highly hazardous active substances and inappropriate protective measures were the significant risk factors, pesticide applications were primarily influenced by the crop type, which requires crop species-specific assessment among nursery workers.\n