SPRINT partners at RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic are advertising for a researcher in the field of pesticide data analysis, fate modelling, exposure and risk assessment. Are you a dedicated researcher, passionate about environmental exposures and what they mean for the environment, ecosystems and humans? Then this position could be for you.
The deadline for applications is 14th December 2023. For more information, see the advert here.
A recent scientific study conducted as part of the Horizon 2020 funded SPRINT project, has unveiled the presence of pesticide residues in indoor environments. The study conducted across Europe and in Argentina, analysed 128 indoor dust samples from both conventional and organic farmworker households, shedding light on the scale of hazards people might be exposed to.
In contemporary agriculture, pesticides are widely used to safeguard crops against various threats. However, the unintended consequences of their use have raised significant concerns. The research, carried out by a team of respected scientists, sought to understand the scope of pesticide residue present in indoor environments and its implications for human exposure.
The comprehensive analysis, evaluating the presence of 198 pesticide residues, discovered a striking reality. Regardless of the household's farming practices, mixtures of pesticide residues were identified in all 128 dust samples. The number of pesticides in each home ranged between 25 and 121 and concentrations ranged from trace amounts to levels eight time higher (0.01 ng/g dust-206 μg/g dust). Notably, glyphosate and its degradation product AMPA, permethrin, cypermethrin, and piperonyl butoxide were detected at the highest concentrations.
Read more: New Research Reveals Widespread Presence of Pesticides in Indoor Environments
A groundbreaking study from the SPRINT project, funded by the European Union's Horizon program, has unveiled a concerning reality: pesticide residues are pervasive in both agricultural environments and residential settings, raising concerns for environmental and human health. These findings, which have significant implications for European Union decision-makers, emphasise the urgent need for comprehensive regulatory measures to address potentially far-reaching impacts of the co-occurrence of pesticides.
For decades, pesticides have been employed globally to bolster agricultural productivity, yet the cumulative effects of their residues have been largely overlooked. The scientific community are increasingly unveiling an alarming trend: pesticide residues, often assessed for risk on a substance-by-substance basis, are in fact extensively mingling in ecosystems. This issue is not confined to agricultural fields and waterbodies but also in the very homes of farmworkers and of their neighbours.
The SPRINT project undertook a field sampling campaign in 10 European countries that identified pesticide residues at all study sites. The first peer-reviewed paper presenting the sampling results has recently been published. This unique dataset has raised concerns about the consequences of such a wide distribution of pesticide residues.
The University of Bordeaux hosted the SPRINT Plenary for 2023, with the meeting in the city centre of Bordeaux. The week focused on updates on progress across the work packages and the general strategic direction of the project, with considerable development evident. As always, there was a strong team spirit as we tackled the challenges of creating cutting-edge science in a policy and political environment where tensions and contention are growing.
Despite being at the centre of the heat wave afflicting Western Europe, the project team could complete the project's business and pay attention to our host's principal crop type of vineyard production. On the first evening, the President of the Regional Assembly greeted the SPRINT with a dinner highlighting regional produce and wine, where it was made clear of the scale of vineyard production and the health and environmental consequences for residents and producers. The field trip on Wednesday focused on efforts in the Saint Emilion Appellation to reduce pesticide dependency and the possibilities of organic management and traditional production practices.
We thank our hosts for all the work they put into looking after the team, including tickets for public transport, and their thoughtfulness about the quality of our visit.
The video recording of the SPRINT presentations at the UN General Assembly Science Summit in New York on 27th September 2023 is now available to view on our YouTube channel here. The ten presentations in this session provide an overview of the preliminary results from the pesticide residue monitoring campaign. The individual presentations are listed below and accessible by clicking on the timestamps:
00:34 Violette Geissen - Pesticide residues with hazard classifications onminpresent in European environment and farmer residences
17:09 Abdallah Alloui - How is exposure to pesticides affecting plant, animal and human health? An assessment in Europe and Argentina
31:04 Daniel Figueiredo - Linking pesticide residues in indoor dust to human exposure of residents living close to conventional and organic farming
43:32 Hans Mol - Pesticides in human urine and feces: human biomonitoring to assess internal exposure to pesticides
59:25 Maaike Gerritse - Pesticides and gut health: influence on gut microbiome composition and negative impact on cells lining the gut
01:25:24 Freya Debler - Pesticide exposure by air at two agricultural sites in europe
01:35:28 Dirk Goossens - Pesticide transport by wind in sediment originating from agricultural fields
01:55:36 Peter Fantke - Human and ecological impacts of pesticides over their life cycle
02:11:53 Kayode Jegede - Risk of pesticide mixtures in the terrestrial ecosystem: effects on earthworms, springtails and bees
02:26:58 Nelson Abrantes - Impacts of realistic pesticide mixtures on freshwater ecosystems
