Questions Flashcards
1
Q
What is a pesticide?
A
- A pesticide is something that prevents, destroys, or controls a harmful organism (‘pest’) or disease
- Protects plants or plant products during production, storage and transport.
2
Q
What is an active substance?
A
- Any chemical, plant extract, pheromone or microorganism (including viruses), that has action against pests or on plants, parts of plants or plant products.
- Before an active substance can be used within a plant protection product in the EU, it must be approved by the European Commission.
3
Q
What is a plant protection product?
A
- Plant protection products are ‘pesticides’ that protect crops or desirable or useful plants.
- They are primarily used in the agricultural sector but also in forestry, horticulture, amenity areas and in home gardens.
- They contain at least one active substance and have one of the following functions:
- protect plants or plant products against pests/diseases before or after harvest
- influence the life processes of plants (such as substances influencing their growth, excluding nutrients)
- preserve plant products
- destroy or prevent growth of undesired plants or parts of plants.
4
Q
What is a plant protection product formulation?
A
- A homogeneous and stable mixture of active and inert ingredients which make the final product simpler, safer, and more efficacious to apply to a target pest.
The inert ingredients may involve:
- The carrier (e.g. organic solvent or mineral clay)
- Surface active ingredients (e.g. stickers or spreaders)
- Other ingredients, such as stabilizers, dyes and chemicals that improve or enhance the activity of the plant protection product
5
Q
Remember the directive 91/414/EEC- Why was this directive important?
A
- Initiated the harmonization of the registration procedures
- Each active substance had to be proofed safe before market entrance (comprehensive risk assessment and authorization procedure)
6
Q
What´s the difference between regulation and a directive?
A
Regulation:
- A regulation is a binding legislative act. It must be applied in its entirety across the EU.
Directive:
- A directive is a legislative act that sets out a goal that all EU countries must achieve. However, it is up to the individual countries to devise their own laws on how to reach these goals.
7
Q
Directive 2009/128 EC Sustainable use directive- What is so particular about this one?
A
- It is the first directive focusing on the use phase
- encourages a low input agriculture (PPP should only be used as a last instance)
- Sustainable use, IPM
8
Q
Who is responsible for the approving of active substances? Of PPP?
A
- Active substances EU level
- PPP member state level
9
Q
Who is responsible to provide all the documentation about risk characteristics?
A
- The industry has to provide all the studies and data
10
Q
What do the required studies focus on?
A
- Human health,
- Environmental risk,
- Residue levels,
- Efficacy data (does it work?)
11
Q
Who makes the final decisions for approval?
A
- EFSA and the EU commission
12
Q
For what period does an approval normally last?
A
- 10 years provided that no new data comes out that makes an other investigation necessary
- Know: Authorization is given only for particular crop/use
13
Q
What are illegal PPP?
A
- Expired
- No label
- Counterfeited products
- Damaged products
- Forbidden products etc.
14
Q
What could be reason for a emergency approval for PPPs?
A
- Emergency approval of plant protection products is foreseen by Article 53 of Regulation (EC) 1107/2009
- Under special circumstances for a period not exceeding 120 days
- In the case of new alien pests
15
Q
Define risk assessment?
A
- a comprehensive evaluation process following scientific principles carried out in cooperation with experts
16
Q
What is risk?
A
Risk= f(x) hazard (toxicity) x exposure
- Risk: The potential for injury to take place
- Hazard (toxicity): The capacity of a pesticide to cause injury
- Exposure: The amount of pesticide entering or contacting the body
17
Q
What is the difference between acute and chronic effects?
A
- Toxicological testing evaluates whether short-term exposure to a plant protection product will produce:
1. acute effects (e.g., eye and skin irritation, death)
and whether long-term, continual exposure will cause
2.chronic effects (e.g., impaired liver function, reproductive abnormalities, cancer)
18
Q
Define duration and magnitude of exposure?
A
- The duration and magnitude of exposure determine the severity of the adverse effect
Duration: increment of time during which exposure to the dose occurs
Magnitude of exposure: size and number of doses received
19
Q
Know the concept of dose and response? Draw the dose response curve? What does the slope of the curve tell us? Interpretation of dose response relationships? Explain the different values like LD50 etc. – Will be a question!!
A
- The toxicity of a chemical substance is determined by quantifying the response of laboratory animals to a series of increasing doses
- The relationship between the administered dose and animal response is graphically depicted as the dose- response curve
- The higher the LD50 dose, the less acutely toxic the chemical substance
- The threshold level is the lowest dose that produces a measurable response in the most sensitive animals (Between NOEL and LOEL)
- The slope of the dose-response curve is of critical importance: a steep curve indicates only a slight difference between a nontoxic dose and a toxic dose
20
Q
Human risk assessment- Risk assessment is a multi step process. What are the steps?
A
- Toxicity assessment: evaluation of intrinsic toxicity or hazard potential of the chemical
- Exposure assessment: estimation of potential human exposure to the chemical
- Risk characterization: evaluation of potential risk to humans
21
Q
Human risk assessment- Risk assessment is a multi step process. What are the steps?
A
- Toxicity assessment: evaluation of intrinsic toxicity or hazard potential of the chemical
- Exposure assessment: estimation of potential human exposure to the chemical
- Risk characterization: evaluation of potential risk to humans
22
Q
Routes of exposure- and which route plays are more important role for the consumers and which one for the operators? Question!!!
A
Plant protection products may enter the human body through:
- the skin (dermal exposure)
- the mouth (oral exposure)
- the lungs (respiratory exposure)
The site of exposure to the plant protection products impacts the rate of absorption into the bloodstream, as well as its distribution pattern
- General public exposure regards mainly residues in food and water (dietary exposure), but also residential exposure
- Occupational exposure occurs during manufacture, transport or use of plant protection products
Skin, Oral, Lungs (respiratory) –> Operator rather skin
23
Q
Which are the factors that influence the dermal exposure? Question!!!
A
- Different anatomical sites
- Warm and moist areas with increased blood vessels
- Skin condition such as cuts, abrasions and rashes
- Type of plant protection product formulation
24
Q
How does the dietary exposure estimation work?
A
- Main source of exposure for the general public
- Dietary exposure is a function of the type and amount of food consumed and the residues of the plant protection product in or on that food
- Two types of dietary exposure are generally considered: chronic and acute
25
How is the operator exposure estimation done?
1. **Dosimetry estimates** (patches on the overalls): At the end of exposure, patches are removed and the amount of plant protection product is analyzed
2. **Biological monitoring** via analysis of urine, blood, and/or exhalation for the PPP and/or its metabolites
26
What are the toxicological thresholds? Question!!
1. **Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI):** Threshold for lifespan dietary exposure (= chronic RfD)
2. **Acute Reference Dose (ARfD):** Threshold set for compounds that pose risk for effects following single or short term dietary exposure, e.g. acute or subacute effects
3. **Acceptable Operator Exposure Levels (AOEL):** Threshold for repeated non dietary exposure
27
Define the term persistence?
1. A PPPs continued presence in the environment (=persistence) is a key factor in predicting potential exposure of wildlife
2. Persistence is generally described as a half-life, that is, the length of time it takes for the disappearance of one half of the applied PPP from an environmental compartment
3. Biological and chemical processes that degrade or dissipate the PPP influence its persistence
28
What does PEC mean? What does TER mean and how is it calculated?
* The fate and behavior of a plant protection product is assessed with calculations of the predicted environmental concentration (PEC)
* The toxicity exposure ratio (TER) is used to determine whether the risk to the organism is acceptable or not
**TER=LC50/PEC**
29
What is product safety data shit?
1. An SDS is aimed to provide information about a substance or mixture for use in industrial or professional activities
2. It is used as a source of information about properties and hazards (including environmental hazards) of a substance/mixture and to obtain advice on safety precautions
3. It has to be submitted to the recipient of the chemical to be used at workplace (e.g. professional use of PPPs), for transport of dangerous goods or in emergency situations (including poison centers)
30
What is Personal protective equipment? Question!!
* Personal protective equipment (PPE) reduces exposure to a plant protection product by creating a barrier between the worker and the hazard, thus representing a risk control measure
* Any device or appliance designed to be worn or held by an individual for protection against one or more health and safety hazards
**_The PPE for the work with PPPs includes:_**
1. Head protection
2. Eye and face protection
3. Respiratory protection
4. Protective gloves
5. Protective clothes
6. Protective footwear
31
What is drift?
1. The downwind movement of spray droplets by the wind at the time of a spray application to areas, which are outside treated fields, can cause unacceptable effects depending on the type of plant protection product
2. Downwind drift of vapor may also occur after a spray application from foliar deposits due to the volatility of the plant protection product, if temperatures are sufficiently high
3. Vapor drift can occur more than 12 hours after application
32
What kind of drifts?
1. **Exo-drift:** movement of spray droplets beyond the edge of a treated field
2. **Endo-drift:** distribution of a plant protection product within a field, but not on the intended target
33
How can drift be measured?
* An international standard for measurement of drift (ISO 22866) is designed to cover both:
1. Short range down wind sedimentation of spray
2. Longer range airborne drift of the smaller spray droplets
* Most assessments are made with a tracer dye quantified by spectro-fluorometric analysis
34
What are the factors influencing the drift?
1. Meteorological conditions (wind speed, wind direction, temperature, humidity)
2. Droplet sizes
3. Time of drop evaporation
4. PPP mixture (formulated product + water + adjuvant)
5. Type of sprayer and height of boom
6. Type of nozzles and pressure
7. Speed of tractor movement
8. Vegetative period
35
How can drift be minimized?
1. Avoid spraying when the wind blows toward sensitive areas
2. Carefully chose a plant protection product
3. Avoid highly volatile chemicals
4. Select nozzles that produce larger droplets
5. Lower the spray pressure
6. Lower the spray boom
7. Respect buffer zones required to protect sensitive areas such as housing, schools, hospitals or water bodies
36
How PPPs enter the water? Roots of contamination?
1. Drift
2. Run-off
3. Leaching
37
# Define residues? What is a maximum residue level? How are they determined?
Question!!
**Residues**: traces of plant protection products left in treated products
1. _A maximum residue level (MRL)_ is the highest level of a plant protection product residue that is legally tolerated in or on food or feed
2. An MRL is intended to be a legally enforceable limit to check whether farmers do follow GAP
3. An MRL is not based on the acceptable daily intake (ADI) of a plant protection product residue
4. An MRL is usually derived from data obtained from 8 to 16 field trials
5. In many situations, the MRL is set at the limit of detection of the PPP and its metabolites
6. MRLs are generally set at a level many times lower than a level, which would be expected to have an adverse effect on human health
38
How sets the MRL?
1. The European Commission fixes MRLs for all food and animal feed
2. The Commission sets a new MRL and amends or removes an existing one after EFSA's opinion
39
Define the term pre harvest interval?
* The pre-harvest interval is the period between the last application and harvesting
* In addition, farmers have to ensure that the pre-harvest interval (PHI) is respected in order to minimize the residue in the harvested cro
40
What is the LOD value?
1. The limit of determination (LOD) represents the MRL for crops on which the plant protection product has not been used or when its use has not left detectable residues
2. The default lowest limit in EU law is 0.01 mg/kg, which corresponds to the lowest limit of analytical determination (LOD)
41
Who is responsible for risk assessment?
EFSA
42
How to store?
1. Read storage info
2. Original container
3. Cool dry place
4. Liquid belwow powder
5. Never store withing equipment
6. Ventilation
7. Access to emergency number (printed)
8. Locked up and labled
43
What are the wasted and how to dispose them?
1. Washing of the equipment
2. Personal protective equipment
3. Containers of PPP
Disposal:
* Liquid: Washing liquid --\> Evaporator
* Containers: Rinzing
44
When and at which phase does exposure occur?
1. Mxining
2. Applying
3. Reapairs while in use
4. Emptying and cleaing
45
Specific application practices to minimize exposure`?
1. Aired, filtered tractor cabin
2. Automated application in greenhouse
3. Seed coating
4. Granular application
46
Redidue levels in Water? Drinking water?
* Drinking water: 0.1 micro grams/liter for single PPP
* 0.5 micro grams/liter for combined
* 0.3 micro grams/liter for specific highly toxic (ddt)
