Applying Comparative Risk Methods to the Changing Occupational Risks of Pesticide Handlers

摘要

Product substitution is a common approach to reducing occupational hazards. A chemical substitution in the agricultural workplace normally involves change from a higher to a lower toxicity compound, but it also may lead to changes in the volume of chemical used, application techniques, and the level of personal protection required of workers. This study employs comparative risk methods to evaluate the recent replacement of azinphos methyl as a pest control agent for codling moth in the tree fruit industry. Comparative risk analysis provides a means of integrating changes in exposure, toxicity and other factors to identify risk tradeoffs that result from such chemical substitution. This presentation examines the comparative risks for agricultural pesticide handlers during an azinphos methyl application scenario and scenarios for acetamiprid, chlorantraniliprole, spinetoram, and thiacloprid. Probabilistic exposure assessments for these scenarios were performed using a combination of personal samples collected from pesticide handlers and generic exposure measurements from the Agricultural Handlers Exposure Database (AHED). The potential risks associated with these application scenarios are presented, together with an analysis of strengths and weaknesses of comparative probabilistic health risk assessment methods.