Proposals for new spray drift exposure values in orchards and vineyards for residents and bystanders

Abstract

In the EU, predicted exposure to spray drift for residents and bystanders from applications in orchards and vineyards is based on data from one study published in 1987, where one downwind distance (8 m) was considered. CropLife Europe conducted sixteen new GLP compliant studies in 4 EU countries, 8 in orchards, 8 in vineyards with early and late season applications, using adult and child mannequins located 5, 10 and 15 m downwind from the last row to measure dermal and inhalation exposures. The resulting "Bystander Resident Orchard Vineyard (BROV)" database comprises 288 observations and offers a more comprehensive option for exposure prediction. There were differences between adult and child, crop type, leaf cover and distance from the sprayer, supporting the derivation of mean, median, 75th and 95th percentile exposures for each subset. Exposures did not generally correlate with wind speed, wind direction, sprayer type, spray quality, spray concentration or amount applied. Dermal and inhalation exposure were lower in vineyards than in orchards and further analysis is required to understand why.

Keywords: BROV; Bystanders; Drift studies; Exposure assessment; Exposure values; Orchards; Residents; Vineyards.