Determination of Operator Potential Risk Level from Pesticide Applications in Hazelnut Orchards

OpenAlex · English

Hazelnuts are grown throughout the Black Sea, where the soil is not suitable for other crops, and on sharply sloping soils. Pesticides are used periodically, except for a few months of the year, against diseases and pests encountered during hazelnut production. Mechanical back sprayers and hydraulic sprayers with high pressure operated spray guns are widely used in spraying. The studies were designed to determine the risk level that may occur during pesticide applications by measuring the amount of pesticide reaching the operator and assistant in the struggle against diseases, pests, and weeds with two different sprayers (mechanical and spray gun), which are widely used for pesticide applications in hazelnut production areas in Ordu province. In the study, in order to determine the dermal exposure level, the operator and his assistant were dressed in protective overalls, and filter papers were attached to different parts of the body on the overalls. After spraying, the amount of residue on the filter papers was measured with a spectrophotometer in the laboratory, and the pesticide exposure levels of the selected target surfaces were determined. In the applications of the garden sprayer and back sprayer, 67– 41% of the lower part of the body and 34–59% of the upper part of the body were contaminated for the operator, respectively. These rates were 50–46% of PDM in the lower part of the body and 50–54% in the upper part of the operator’s assistant.