Operator exposure and cabin protection in plant protection product application

Abstract

Tightly sealed driver's cabs can effectively protect the user from exposure when applying crop protection products. Therefore, under certain conditions, users in such cabins can avoid wearing personal protective equipment for skin and eyes. The protective effect depends on the technical design and handling of the different cabin types and can be divided into categories with different levels of protection. Since the level of protection of the different types of cabins and the associated possibility of not wearing personal protective equipment has not been sufficiently scientifically verified in the past, the present study was carried out to close this gap. Field and laboratory test methods were developed and used to assess exposure levels. External contamination of the cabin was measured using various dosimeters. Exposure inside the cabins was measured on coveralls and gloves to measure dermal exposure and with aerosol sampling pumps to determine inhalation exposure. Tests were conducted on tractors with different cab categories using an air-assisted orchard sprayer as a worst-case scenario for exposure to spray drift. Additionally, an alternative laboratory test method was developed and conducted to evaluate filter efficiency under controlled conditions and compare it with the field tests. The results showed that exposure inside closed cabins was generally low and was not notably correlated with the cabin category. All types of cabins tested were found to provide significant protection from dermal and inhalation exposure.