A groundbreaking study to address the lack of robust, nationwide “real-world” exposure data

There is little data, particularly in France, on the exposure of people living near crops to substances contained in plant protection products¹. PestiRiv was designed to objectively measure the exposure of populations living near crops, using viticulture as a case study. This crop was chosen because vineyards are permanent crops, often located in the immediate vicinity of homes, and generally subject to significant applications of plant protection products, given the quantities sold and the frequency of treatments.

The study, conducted from 2021 to 2022 at 265 sites across six French wine-growing regions, involved 1,946 adults and 742 children, some of whom lived within 500 meters of vineyards, and others more than 1,000 meters from any crops.

To assess exposure, 56 substances were tested for in at least one of the following matrices:

• participants’ urine and hair (biological impregnation);

• dust and indoor air in homes;

• ambient air.

Measurements were also taken on fruits and vegetables from the gardens of some households in wine-growing areas to estimate exposure through personal consumption.

At the same time, participants completed questionnaires on their diet and lifestyle (outdoor activities, occupation, use of pesticides at home) to identify all factors that could explain pesticide exposure.

Santé publique France was responsible for the study’s logistics and the component on participants’ bioaccumulation, while ANSES handled the component on environmental contamination. The agencies then developed a joint opinion, with the support of their expert panels.

Environmental contamination and biological exposure are higher near vineyards

The study’s results show that residents living near wine-growing areas are more exposed to plant protection products applied to these crops than people living far from any crops. These exposures are also higher during treatment periods. Increased biological contamination in wine-growing areas is observed in both adults and children. These results are robust across the various samples analyzed (urine, hair, dust, ambient air, indoor air) and consistent with those of a few studies conducted in the United States and the Netherlands.

This higher exposure is due to the transfer into the environment of substances applied to grapevines, which is observed for the majority of the measured substances: it applies to both substances highly specific to grapevines (e.g., folpel or metiram) and those that are less so (e.g., glyphosate, fosetyl-aluminum, spiroxamine).

In fact, substances can disperse beyond treated areas through drift, in the form of droplets at the time of application, or through the re-dispersion of a fraction of the product that has volatilized after application. This is accompanied by a gradual redeposition of the products on the ground.

It should be noted that light rainfall and high temperatures in the spring and summer of 2022, the study period, may have limited the need for treatment. Exposure levels in wine-growing areas could therefore be higher in rainy weather.

For certain substances, no difference was observed between the two population groups or between the two periods. This may be explained by the fact that there are other sources of exposure besides agricultural treatments (as in the case of pyrethroids, which are insecticides used for various purposes, or copper) or that the use of the substance on vineyards was low during the study period (e.g., tebuconazole).

Call to reduce pesticide applications to the strict minimum

The PestiRiv study provides a robust dataset on the presence of plant protection products in various types of environmental samples (air, dust, food) and in humans. These data help document the factors influencing levels of environmental contamination and bioaccumulation, thereby identifying levers for action to reduce exposure.

PestiRiv shows that the quantities of products used and the proximity of homes to vineyards are the two main factors driving exposure. This finding confirms the need to address the source of emissions to limit exposure for people living closest to the crops.

Santé publique France and ANSES therefore recommend reducing the use of plant protection products to the strict minimum. Public authorities can notably rely on the national Ecophyto 2030 strategy, for which the two agencies call for ambitious implementation.

The two agencies also emphasize the need to inform nearby residents before treatments, as exposure is also influenced by individual behaviors. However, preventing exposure among nearby residents should not rely solely on individual measures.

PestiRiv’s recommendations can be extrapolated to other crops.

Linking the exposure and absorption levels identified in this study to potential health risks requires further research, the feasibility of which will be assessed as part of the planned follow-up.

Beyond the initial conclusions, how will the PestiRiv data be further utilized?

Further work is being considered by Santé publique France and ANSES to continue leveraging the PestiRiv results in order to:

• Examine the links between exposure and health effects in greater depth by initially cross-referencing PestiRiv data with the results of studies submitted in support of marketing authorization applications;

• In a second phase, study the feasibility of assessing potential health risks associated with exposures measured within the PestiRiv framework;

• Better understand the links between environmental contamination and human exposure;

• Improve knowledge of exposure mechanisms and determine the levels of biological accumulation that may be associated with health risks by cross-referencing PestiRiv results with those of other studies;

• Describe co-exposures to plant protection products and their accumulation with other risk factors with a view to future risk assessment incorporating the concept of the exposome.

The results of the PestiRiv measurements, which will be referenced in Green Data for Health (GD4H), will also be made available to the scientific community.

Furthermore, Santé publique France and ANSES are requesting access to real-world data on the use of plant protection products. Such data will help clarify the links between actual applications and environmental transfer, thereby enabling better control of local residents’ exposure.

View the results of environmental contamination on the ANSES website