Journal
CHEMOSPHERE
Volume 222, Issue -, Pages 46-55Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.01.092
Keywords
Pesticide application; Drift; Orchard sprayers; Application exclusion zone; Environmental exposure; Particulate matter
Categories
Funding
- University of Washington School of Public Health (Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences), United States
- University of Washington School of Public Health (Russel L. Castner Endowed Student Research Fund), United States
- University of Washington School of Public Health (Graduate Opportunities Minority Achievement Program), United States
- University of Washington School of Public Health (Biostatistics, Epidemiologic, and Bioinformatic Training in Environmental Health Training Program), United States
- PNASH Center (CDC/NIOSH Cooperative Agreement), United States [5 U54 OH007544]
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, United States [5P30 ES007033-23]
- US Environmental Protection Agency, United States [83618501-0]
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In Washington State, half of all pesticide-related illnesses in agriculture result from drift, the off-target movement of pesticides. Of these, a significant proportion involve workers on another farm and orchard airblast applications. We compared the spray drift exposure reduction potential of two modern tower sprayers - directed air tower (DAT) and multi-headed fan tower (MFT), in relation to a traditional axial fan airblast (AFA) sprayer. We employed real-time particle monitors (Dylos DC1100) during a randomized control trial of orchard spray applications. Sections of a field were randomly sprayed by three alternating spray technologies - AFA, DAT and MFT - while monitors sampled particulate matter above and below the canopy at various downwind locations in a neighboring field. Geometric mean particle mass concentrations (PMC) outside the intended spray area were elevated during all applications at all of our sampling distances (16-74m, 51-244 ft). After adjusting for wind speed and sampling height, the 75th percentile (95% confidence interval) PMC level was significantly greater during spray events than background levels by 105 (93, 120) mu g/m(3), 49 (45, 54) mu g/m(3) and 26 (22, 31)14/m(3) during AFA, DAT and MFT applications, respectively. Adjusted PMC levels were significantly different between all three sprayers. In this study, tower sprayers significantly reduced spray drift exposures in a neighboring orchard field when compared to the AFA sprayer, with the MFT sprayer producing the least drift; however these tower sprayers did do not fully eliminate drift. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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