Environmental and operator safety during pesticide applications in greenhouses

The paper reports the results of a survey carried out in the South-East of Sicily aimed at analysing some aspects related to environment and operators’ safety during pesticide application in greenhouse crops. Moreover, it reports the results coming from the analysis of the entire working cycle of the operators in a nursery greenhouse when spray the seedlings, starting with their dressing at the warehouse and ending with their undressing at the same place. The main results show that 49% of farmers perform 15–20 pesticide applications per year and 24% more than 20, sometimes weekly. The volume rates range from 700 up to 1200 L/ha, according to the plant growth, and the working pressure ranges from 10 to 30 bar. The most widespread sprayer is the handheld high pressure spray lance, with one or more nozzles. The actual operating parameters not always are correctly monitored, because 76 percent of pressure gauges have never been checked and only 67 percent of them are in working conditions and visible by the operator during treatments. The high volume rates and high frequencies of application increase the risk of exposure for operators, but the use of personal protective equipment isn’t spread as it should be. During mixture preparation, when concentrated pesticides are manipulated, only 36 percent of operators use rubber gloves, only 20 percent wear waterproof overalls, and only 12 percent protect the respiratory tract by means of activated carbon mask. The application is perceived as the most risky phase, because the use of PPE increases significantly, whereas it decreases dramatically during post treatment activities (cleaning of the equipment). The analysis of the nursery greenhouse shows that the entire work cycle ranges from 79 to 96 min when spraying areas ranging from 2200 to 4500 m2, while the spraying time accounts from 14 to 21 percent. When considering all sub-phases, it emerges that the total time of possible exposure to pesticides ranges from 59 up to 65 percent of the entire work cycle. The results, even if susceptible of integrations, can represent the basis for a plan of action aimed at reducing and preventing the risks for operators and the environment during greenhouse activities.