Apports de l’ergotoxicologie à l’évaluation de l’efficacité réelle des EPI devant protéger du risque phytosanitaire : de l’analyse de la contamination au processus collectif d’alerte

L’objectif de cet article est de présenter des résultats récents d’une recherche/action en ergotoxicologie concernant les risques liés à l’usage des produits phytosanitaires. Cette recherche propose une double articulation : la première entre des résultats issus d’analyses en situations de travail portant sur la contamination externe des viticulteurs et des résultats issus de tests en laboratoire portant sur la perméation des combinaisons. La seconde articulation concerne le lien entre l’ensemble des résultats cités ci-dessus et une analyse des failles techniques et organisationnelles de la conception et des processus de certification des EPI (équipements de protection individuelle). Sur ces bases, la question des EPI sera alors abordée sous l’angle d’un transfert de technologie entre des milieux industriels et les réalités des situations agricoles. Ceci conduit à un diagnostic très préoccupant en matière d’efficacité réelle des combinaisons. Nous aborderons aussi les questions des responsabilités juridiques soulevées par de tels manquements. Enfin, nous détaillerons le rôle de whistler blower (Vaugan, 1996) que nous avons décidé de jouer ainsi que le processus d’alerte que nous avons construit afin de poser autrement le problème des EPI et intéresser l’ensemble des acteurs.This paper presents the results of an ergotoxicologic study on the effectiveness, in real-life conditions, of the protective suits recommended by preventionists. The arguments presented in the paper are based on the Pestexpo study conducted by Isabelle Baldi (Baldi et al. (2002) and Baldi et al. (2006)), which involved analyzing the exposure of vineyard workers to plant protection products by using an ergo-toxicologic approach. The point is to identify different types of exposure by taking into account the characteristics of the actual work (as opposed to what the operators are supposed to be doing) as an outcome of personal, technical and organizational determinants. We were able to point at the permeation of the fabric used for some of the suits. Indeed, after further discussion with PPE manufacturers, it would appear that the suits recommended for agricultural activities were initially developed for industrial purposes and that since farming is just a market niche, these suits may not have been tested for plant protection products, not even for the most common ones. We will explore this topic in terms of organizational and technical failure (Reason, 2004) in the personal protective equipment (PPE) design, testing and standardization process. We will also present the collective whistle-blowing process that was initiated.El objetivo de este artículo es presentar los resultados recientes de una investigación/acción en ergotoxicología sobre los riesgos relacionados con el uso de productos fitosanitarios. Esta investigación propone una doble articulación : la primera, entre resultados que emergen de análisis realizados en situaciones de trabajo sobre la contaminación externa de los viticultores y resultados provenientes de tests de laboratorio sobre la permeabilidad de la vestimenta de protección. La segunda articulación trata de la relación entre el conjunto de resultados ya citados y un análisis de los fallos técnicos y organizacionales del diseño y de los procesos de certificación de los EPI (equipos de protección individual). La problemática de los EPI será abordada desde el ángulo de una transferencia de tecnología entre los medios industriales y las realidades de las situaciones agrícolas. Esto conduce a un diagnóstico muy preocupante sobre la eficacia real de las vestimentas de protección. Abordaremos también las preguntas sobre la responsabilidad jurídica que emergen de estas carencias. Finalmente, explicaremos el rol de whistler blower (Vaugan, 1996) que decidimos jugar y el proceso de alerta que construimos para plantear de otra manera el problema de los EPI y hacer emerger el interés del conjunto de los actores sobre esta cuestión

Contributos da ergotoxicologia na avaliação da eficácia real dos EPI que devem proteger do risco fitossanitário : da análise da contaminação ao processo colectivo de alerta

O objectivo deste artigo é de apresentar os resultados recentes de uma investigação/acção em ergotoxicologia no que concerne os riscos relacionados com o uso de produtos fitossanitários. Esta investigação propõe uma dupla articulação : a primeira entre os resultados provenientes de análises em situação de trabalho no que diz respeito à contaminação externa dos viticultores e dos resultados provenientes de testes em laboratórios quanto à “permeação” dos fatos de macaco. A segunda articulação incide sobre a relação entre o conjunto dos resultados, acima referidos, e uma análise das falhas técnicas e organizacionais da concepção e dos processos de certificação dos EPI (equipamentos de protecção individual). Tendo isto em conta, a questão dos EPI será então abordada sob a perspectiva de uma transferência de tecnologia entre os meios industriais e as realidades das situações agrícolas. Isto conduz a um diagnóstico muito preocupante em matéria de eficácia real dos fatos de macaco. Abordaremos também as questões das responsabilidades jurídicas levantadas por tais falhas. Finalmente, pormenorizaremos o papel de whistler blower (Vaugan, 1996) que decidimos assumir assim como o processo de alerta que construímos a fim de abordar de outro modo o problema dos EPI e de suscitar interesse no conjunto dos actores.El objetivo de este artículo es el de presentar los resultados recientes de una investigación/acción en ergotoxicología en lo que se refiere a los riesgos relacionados con el uso de productos fitosanitarios. Esta investigación propone una doble articulación : la primera entre los resultados provenientes de análisis en situación de trabajo en lo que se refiere a la contaminación externa de los viticultores y de los resultados provenientes de pruebas en laboratorios en cuanto a la “permeación” de los monos (pieza vestuario). La segunda articulación incide sobre la relación entre el conjunto de los resultados, antes referidos, y un análisis de los fallos técnicos y organizacionales de la concepción y de los procesos de certificación de los EPI (equipos de protección individual). Teniendo esto en cuenta, la cuestión de los EPI será entonces planteada bajo la perspectiva de una transferencia de tecnología entre los medios industriales y las realidades de las situaciones agrícolas. Esto conduce a un diagnóstico muy preocupante en materia de eficacia real de los monos (pieza vestuario). Plantearemos también las cuestiones de las responsabilidades jurídicas levantadas por tales fallos. Finalmente, detallaremos el papel de whistler blower (Vaugan, 1996) que decidimos asumir así como el proceso de alerta que construimos a fin de plantear de otra forma el problema de los EPI y de suscitar interés en el conjunto de los actores.L’objectif de cet article est de présenter des résultats récents d’une recherche/action en ergotoxicologie concernant les risques liés à l’usage des produits phytosanitaires. Cette recherche propose une double articulation : la première entre des résultats issus d’analyses en situations de travail portant sur la contamination externe des viticulteurs et des résultats issus de tests en laboratoire portant sur la perméation des combinaisons. La seconde articulation concerne le lien entre l’ensemble des résultats cités ci-dessus et une analyse des failles techniques et organisationnelles de la conception et des processus de certification des EPI (équipements de protection individuelle). Sur ces bases, la question des EPI sera alors abordée sous l’angle d’un transfert de technologie entre des milieux industriels et les réalités des situations agricoles. Ceci conduit à un diagnostic très préoccupant en matière d’efficacité réelle des combinaisons. Nous aborderons aussi les questions des responsabilités juridiques soulevées par de tels manquements. Enfin, nous détaillerons le rôle de whistler blower (Vaugan, 1996) que nous avons décidé de jouer ainsi que le processus d’alerte que nous avons construit afin de poser autrement le problème des EPI et intéresser l’ensemble des acteurs.This paper aims to present the results of an ergo-toxicologic study of the effectiveness, in real-life conditions, of the protective suits recommended by preventionists. The arguments developed hereafter are based on the Pestexpo study led by Isabelle Baldi (Baldi et al. (2002) and Baldi et al. (2006)). This study focused on analysing the exposure of vineyard workers to plant protection products by using an ergo-toxicologic approach. The point is to identify different types of exposure by taking into account the characteristics of the real work activity (as opposed to what the operators are supposed to be doing) as a produce of personal, technical and organisational determinants. We were able to point at the “permeação” of the fabric used for some of the suits. Indeed, after further discussion with PPE manufacturing companies, it seems that the suits recommended for agricultural activities were initially developed for the needs of the industry, and that as the agriculture is just a niche in terms of sales, those suits may not havebeentestedfor plant protection products, notevenforthose which are most frequently used. We will explore this question along the lines of organisational and technical failures (Reason, 2004) in the processes of design, testing and standardisation of PPE (personal protective equipment). We will also present a collective process of whistle-blowing we have initiated

Contribution of Ergotoxicology to the Determination of Actual PPE Effectiveness in Protecting Users From Phytosanitary Risks. From Contamination Analysis to the Collective Whistle-Blowing Process

This paper presents the results of an ergotoxicologic study on the effectiveness, in real-life conditions, of the protective suits recommended by preventionists. The arguments presented in the paper are based on the Pestexpo study conducted by Isabelle Baldi (Baldi et al. (2002) and Baldi et al. (2006)), which involved analyzing the exposure of vineyard workers to plant protection products by using an ergo-toxicologic approach. The point is to identify different types of exposure by taking into account the characteristics of the actual work (as opposed to what the operators are supposed to be doing) as an outcome of personal, technical and organizational determinants. We were able to point at the permeation of the fabric used for some of the suits. Indeed, after further discussion with PPE manufacturers, it would appear that the suits recommended for agricultural activities were initially developed for industrial purposes and that since farming is just a market niche, these suits may not have been tested for plant protection products, not even for the most common ones. We will explore this topic in terms of organizational and technical failure (Reason, 2004) in the personal protective equipment (PPE) design, testing and standardization process. We will also present the collective whistle-blowing process that was initiated.L’objectif de cet article est de présenter des résultats récents d’une recherche/action en ergotoxicologie concernant les risques liés à l’usage des produits phytosanitaires. Cette recherche propose une double articulation : la première entre des résultats issus d’analyses en situations de travail portant sur la contamination externe des viticulteurs et des résultats issus de tests en laboratoire portant sur la perméation des combinaisons. La seconde articulation concerne le lien entre l’ensemble des résultats cités ci-dessus et une analyse des failles techniques et organisationnelles de la conception et des processus de certification des EPI (équipements de protection individuelle). Sur ces bases, la question des EPI sera alors abordée sous l’angle d’un transfert de technologie entre des milieux industriels et les réalités des situations agricoles. Ceci conduit à un diagnostic très préoccupant en matière d’efficacité réelle des combinaisons. Nous aborderons aussi les questions des responsabilités juridiques soulevées par de tels manquements. Enfin, nous détaillerons le rôle de whistler blower (Vaugan, 1996) que nous avons décidé de jouer ainsi que le processus d’alerte que nous avons construit afin de poser autrement le problème des EPI et intéresser l’ensemble des acteurs.El objetivo de este artículo es presentar los resultados recientes de una investigación/acción en ergotoxicología sobre los riesgos relacionados con el uso de productos fitosanitarios. Esta investigación propone una doble articulación : la primera, entre resultados que emergen de análisis realizados en situaciones de trabajo sobre la contaminación externa de los viticultores y resultados provenientes de tests de laboratorio sobre la permeabilidad de la vestimenta de protección. La segunda articulación trata de la relación entre el conjunto de resultados ya citados y un análisis de los fallos técnicos y organizacionales del diseño y de los procesos de certificación de los EPI (equipos de protección individual). La problemática de los EPI será abordada desde el ángulo de una transferencia de tecnología entre los medios industriales y las realidades de las situaciones agrícolas. Esto conduce a un diagnóstico muy preocupante sobre la eficacia real de las vestimentas de protección. Abordaremos también las preguntas sobre la responsabilidad jurídica que emergen de estas carencias. Finalmente, explicaremos el rol de whistler blower (Vaugan, 1996) que decidimos jugar y el proceso de alerta que construimos para plantear de otra manera el problema de los EPI y hacer emerger el interés del conjunto de los actores sobre esta cuestión

Human skin in vitro permeation of bentazon and isoproturon formulations with or without protective clothing suit

Skin exposures to chemicals may lead, through percutaneous permeation, to a significant increase in systemic circulation. Skin is the primary route of entry during some occupational activities, especially in agriculture. To reduce skin exposures, the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is recommended. PPE efficiency is characterized as the time until products permeate through material (lag time, Tlag). Both skin and PPE permeations are assessed using similar in vitro methods; the diffusion cell system. Flow-through diffusion cells were used in this study to assess the permeation of two herbicides, bentazon and isoproturon, as well as four related commercial formulations (Basagran(®), Basamais(®), Arelon(®) and Matara(®)). Permeation was measured through fresh excised human skin, protective clothing suits (suits) (Microchem(®) 3000, AgriSafe Pro(®), Proshield(®) and Microgard(®) 2000 Plus Green), and a combination of skin and suits. Both herbicides, tested by itself or as an active ingredient in formulations, permeated readily through human skin and tested suits (Tlag < 2 h). High permeation coefficients were obtained regardless of formulations or tested membranes, except for Microchem(®) 3000. Short Tlag, were observed even when skin was covered with suits, except for Microchem(®) 3000. Kp values tended to decrease when suits covered the skin (except when Arelon(®) was applied to skin covered with AgriSafe Pro and Microgard(®) 2000), suggesting that Tlag alone is insufficient in characterizing suits. To better estimate human skin permeations, in vitro experiments should not only use human skin but also consider the intended use of the suit, i.e., the active ingredient concentrations and type of formulations, which significantly affect skin permeation

Physicochemical characteristics and bronchial epithelial cell cytotoxicity of Folpan 80 WG® and Myco 500®, two commercial forms of folpet

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Pesticides, in particular folpet, have been found in rural and urban air in France in the past few years. Folpet is a contact fungicide and has been widely used for the past 50 years in vineyards in France. Slightly water-soluble and mostly present as particles in the environment, it has been measured at average concentration of 40.1 μg/m³during its spraying, 0.16–1.2 μg/m³in rural air and around 0.01 μg/m³in urban air, potentially exposing both the workers and the general population. However, no study on its penetration by inhalation and on its respiratory toxicity has been published. The objective of this study was to determine the physicochemical characteristics of folpet particles (morphology, granulometry, stability) in its commercial forms under their typical application conditions. Moreover, the cytotoxic effect of these particles and the generation of reactive oxygen species were assessed <it>in vitro </it>on respiratory cells.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Granulometry of two commercial forms of folpet (Folpan 80WG^®and Myco 500^®) under their typical application conditions showed that the majority of the particles (>75%) had a size under 5 μm, and therefore could be inhaled by humans. These particles were relatively stable over time: more than 75% of folpet remained in the particle suspension after 30 days under the typical application conditions. The inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) on human bronchial epithelial cells (16HBE14o-) was found to be between 2.89 and 5.11 μg/cm²for folpet commercial products after 24 h of exposure. Folpet degradation products and vehicles of Folpan 80 WG^®did not show any cytotoxicity at tested concentrations. At non-cytotoxic and subtoxic concentrations, Folpan 80 WG^®was found to increase DCFH-DA fluorescence.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results show that the particles of commercial forms of folpet are relatively stable over time. Particles could be easily inhaled by humans, could reach the conducting airways and are cytotoxic to respiratory cells in vitro. Folpet particles may mediate its toxicity directly or indirectly through ROS-mediated alterations. These data constitute the first step towards the risk assessment of folpet particles by inhalation for human health. This work confirms the need for further studies on the effect of environmental pesticides on the respiratory system.</p

Personal exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields in various occupations in Spain and France

BACKGROUND: A preliminary job-exposure matrix (JEM) for radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) was created based on self-reported occupational information from a multi-country population-based study of approximately 10,000 participants combined with available measurement data compiled in a source-exposure matrix (spot measurements). In order to address the limited personal occupational RF-EMF measurement data available in the literature, we performed a measurement campaign among workers in various occupations in Spain and France. METHODS: Personal full-shift measurements were conducted using RadMan 2XT™ (Narda) devices. A worker diary was used to capture information on occupational and background sources of RF exposure during the shift. Inclusion of occupations to be measured was initially based on exposure prevalence and level information in the preliminary JEM and expert judgment. RESULTS: Personal full-shift measurements were conducted among 333 workers representing 46 ISCO88 occupations. Exposure to electric (E) and magnetic (H) fields was infrequent with >99% of measurements below the detection limit of the device (≥1% of the 1998 ICNIRP standards). A total of 50.2% and 77.2% of workers were ever exposed to E and H fields respectively (having at least one recorded 1-second measurement above the detection limit). Workers in elementary occupations, technicians and associate professionals, plant and machine operators and assemblers had somewhat greater numbers of measurements above the detection limit, higher maximum values and longer exposure durations. A small proportion of measurements were ≥100% of the standards, though these exceedances were brief (generally a few seconds in duration). Female workers and workers reporting use of any RF-EMF emitting source were more likely to have a measured exposure to E and H fields. CONCLUSION: We conducted personal RF-EMF measurements among workers in various occupations in Spain and France. Overall, RF-EMF exposure ≥1 % ICNIRP was infrequent, despite some intermittent exposures ≥100% observed among workers in some occupations

Cancer incidence in the AGRICAN cohort study (2005-2011).

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have been conducted among farmers, but very few of them have involved large prospective cohorts, and few have included a significant proportion of women and farm workers. Our aim was to compare cancer incidence in the cohort (overall, by sex, and by work on farm, occupational status and pesticide use) within the general population. METHODS: More than 180,000 participants in the AGRICAN cohort were matched to cancer registries to identify cancer cases diagnosed from enrolment (2005-2007) to 31st December 2011. We calculated standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs). RESULTS: Over the period, 11,067 incident cancer cases were identified (7304 men and 3763 women). Overall cancer incidence did not differ between the cohort and the general population. Moreover, SIRs were significantly higher for prostate cancer (SIR=1.07, 95%CI 1.03-1.11) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (SIR=1.09, 95%CI 1.01-1.18) among men, skin melanoma among women (SIR=1.23, 95%CI 1.05-1.43) and multiple myeloma (men: SIR=1.38, 95%CI 1.18-1.62; women: SIR=1.26, 95%CI 1.02-1.54). In contrast, SIRs were lower for upper aerodigestive tract and respiratory cancers. Increase in risk was greater in male farm workers for prostate and lip cancer, in female farm workers for skin melanoma, and in male farm owners for multiple myeloma. Moreover, incidence of multiple myeloma and skin melanoma was higher among male and female pesticide users respectively. CONCLUSION: We found a decreased incidence for tobacco-related cancers and an increased incidence of prostate cancers, skin melanoma and multiple myeloma. Specific subgroups had a higher cancer incidence related to occupational status and pesticide use

PLoS One

The assessment of residential exposure to agricultural pesticides is a major issue for public health, regulatory and management purposes. In recent years, research into this field has developed considerably. The purpose of this scoping review is to provide an overview of scientific literature characterizing residential exposure to agricultural pesticides and to identify potential gaps in this research area. This work was conducted according to the JBI and PRISMA guidelines. Three databases were consulted. At least two experts selected the eligible studies. Our scoping review enabled us to identify 151 articles published between 1988 and 2019 dealing with the assessment of residential exposure to agricultural pesticides. Of these, 98 (64.9%) were epidemiological studies investigating possible links between pesticide exposure and the onset of adverse health effects, principally cancers and reproductive outcomes. They predominantly used Geographic Information Systems and sometimes surveys or interviews to calculate surrogate exposure metrics, the most common being the amounts of pesticides applied or the surface area of crops around the dwelling. Twenty-six (17.2%) were observational measurement studies conducted to quantify levels of pesticide exposure and identify their possible determinants. These studies assessed exposure by measuring pesticides in biological and environmental matrices, mostly in urines and house dust. Finally, we found only eight publications (5.3%) that quantified the risk to human health due to residential exposure for management purposes, in which exposure was mainly determined using probabilistic models. Pesticide exposure appears to be largely correlated with the spatial organization of agriculture activities in a territory. The determinants and routes of exposure remain to be explored to improve the conduct of epidemiological and risk assessment studies and to help prevent future exposures. Improvement could be expected from small-scale studies combining different methods of exposure assessment

Human skin in vitro permeation of bentazon and isoproturon formulations with or without protective clothing suit

Skin exposures to chemicals may lead, through percutaneous permeation, to a significant increase in systemic circulation. Skin is the primary route of entry during some occupational activities, especially in agriculture. To reduce skin exposures, the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is recommended. PPE efficiency is characterized as the time until products permeate through material (lag time, Tlag). Both skin and PPE permeations are assessed using similar in vitro methods; the diffusion cell system. Flow-through diffusion cells were used in this study to assess the permeation of two herbicides, bentazon and isoproturon, as well as four related commercial formulations (Basagran®, Basamais®, Arelon® and Matara®). Permeation was measured through fresh excised human skin, protective clothing suits (suits) (Microchem® 3000, AgriSafe Pro®, Proshield® and Microgard® 2000 Plus Green), and a combination of skin and suits. Both herbicides, tested by itself or as an active ingredient in formulations, permeated readily through human skin and tested suits (Tlag<2h). High permeation coefficients were obtained regardless of formulations or tested membranes, except for Microchem® 3000. Short Tlag, were observed even when skin was covered with suits, except for Microchem® 3000. Kp values tended to decrease when suits covered the skin (except when Arelon® was applied to skin covered with AgriSafe Pro and Microgard® 2000), suggesting that Tlag alone is insufficient in characterizing suits. To better estimate human skin permeations, in vitro experiments should not only use human skin but also consider the intended use of the suit, i.e., the active ingredient concentrations and type of formulations, which significantly affect skin permeation