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Environmental risk assessment

Team role

The Environmental Risk Assessment Team has extensive experience in assessing the exposure and effects of a range of chemicals on the environment both for government and the private sector. This expertise is used in purpose-designed studies to address specific issues in a range of applications from novel solutions such as the use of state-of-the-art satellite tags to improve our understanding of the use of arable fields by geese, for incorporation in pesticide risk assessments, to assessing the impact of risk management practices on the safety of chemicals to the environment.

The team undertakes research in 3 areas:

  • Research Area One - more info...
    Improvement of understanding of the science behind risk assessment through improving our knowledge of the potential for exposure of vertebrate and invertebrate wildlife to pesticides and the effects of their behaviour on it.
  • Research Area Two - more info...
    Improved understanding of the sources and routes of pesticide exposure for workers, bystanders, residents and the environment. Optimising pesticide application techniques to minimise use and exposures, and development of IPM with biopesticide application.
  • Research Area Three - more info...
    Undertaking high quality, purpose-designed studies in the areas of ecotoxicology and operator/bystander exposure for the private sector in support of chemical registration.

Research Area One

Exposure assessment for wildlife has been identified by both national (PSD) and international regulatory authorities (EFSA ) as gaps in the knowledge base underpinning risk assessment. Currently Fera are taking in lead in many of these areas in developing methodology to address the gaps in knowledge. These data are directly used by both regulators and industry in the development of risk assessments for pesticides by more closely defining the potential for exposure to pesticides.

The largest project to date has been aimed at more accurately defining the percentage of food likely to be obtained from a treated crop by determining the variation in time spent each 24 hour period in various arable habitats by birds and mammals throughout the seasons. Tracking has involved conventional tagging and radiotracking techniques and more innovative solar-powered GPS/Argos satellite technology to address the issue of species, such as greylag geese, which travel over larger distances. A range of farmland species have been tracked, including yellowhammer, blackbird, skylark, woodmouse, greylag goose, brown hare and woodpigeon. These are abundant and prevalent species on arable farmland, and can also be used to represent other, similar species in risk assessments.

Three interlinked projects are aimed at more closely defining the risks posed by treated seeds. We are assessing the actual levels of seeds on the surface of fields after drilling and we are just starting a new project to define more closely the area over which a bird will forage for seed to assist the regulators in assessing the risks posed from treated seeds and granules on the surface of fields. Dehusking behaviour of seeds by small mammals is considered to reduce the potential for exposure but has not been well defined. We are currently quantifying the intake of the outer treated surface of a range of seed types during feeding by mice and voles so this data can be used in risk assessment.

The Environmental Risk Assessment team also works closely with the National Bee Unit in assessing the risk posed by pesticides to honeybees and bumble bees. Recent projects include the risks posed by systemic pesticides, such as the neo-nicotinoids, and the data is being incorporated into new EPPO guidelines. Other projects include the potential risks posed by home and garden uses of pesticides and the risks posed by intermittent exposure as is likely to occur in arable landscapes.

Publications

Prosser P;Nattrass C;Prosser C; (2008) Rate of removal of bird carcasses in arable farmland by predators and scavengers Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 71(2),601-608.

Lewis G;Thompson H;Smagghe G; (2007) In focus: Pesticides and honeybees - the work of the ICP-BR bee protection group editorial Pest Management Science 63(11),1047-1050.

Thompson HM;Maus C; (2007) The relevance of sublethal effects in honey bee testing for pesticide risk assessment Pest Management Science 63(11),1058-1061.

Thompson HM;Wilkins S;Battersby AH;Waite RJ;Wilkinson D; (2007) Modelling long-term effects of IGRs on honey bee colonies Pest Management Science 63(11),1081-1084.

Prosser PJ;Hart ADM;Langton SD;McKay HV;Cooke AS; (2006) Estimating the rate of poisoning by insecticide-treated seeds in a bird population Ecotoxicology 15(8),657-664.

Thompson HM;Fernandes A;Rose M;White S;Blackburn A; (2006) Possible chemical causes of skeletal deformities in grey heron nestlings (Ardea cinerea) in North Nottinghamshire, UK Chemosphere 65,400-409.

Thompson HM;Waite RJ;Wilkins S;Brown MA;Bigwood T;Shaw M;Ridgway C;Sharman M; (2006) Effects of shook swarm and supplementary feeding on oxytetracycline levels in honey extracted from treated colonies Apidologie 37,51-57.

Hart ADM;Thompson HM; (2005) Improved approaches to assessing long-term risks to birds and mammals Ecotoxicology 14,771-773.

Prosser P;Hart ADM; (2005) Assessing potential exposure of birds to pesticide-treated seeds Ecotoxicology 14,679-691.

Fryday SL;Chandler-Morris SA;Hart ADM; (2004) Palatability of dead earthworms and slugs to the wood mouse (Apodemus syvaticus) and the potential for secondary poisoning Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxocology 72,54-61.

Research Area Two

Our Application Hazards team has expertise in exposure assessment and modelling, having played a key role in the development of UK POEM and EUROPOEM. The team undertakes a range of projects assessing the exposure of operators, bystanders and residents and has expertise in spray drift and biopesticides application technology. Recent projects include:

1. The development and validation of a Bystander and Resident Exposure Assessment Model (BREAM) following on from the report by The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution concerning crop spraying and the health of residents and bystanders. This was published in 2005 and recommended that "..the current approach for assessing resident and bystander exposure should, with some urgency, be replaced by a computational model which is probabilistic, looks at a wider range of possible exposure routes and more robustly reflects worst-case outcomes. The model should be rigorously validated by wind tunnel and field tests designed for the purpose, including non-standard conditions to test the sensitivity of the model predictions." This project sets out to address this recommendation with boom sprayers operating over arable crops in a range of conditions relevant to the United Kingdom.

2. Field spray drift data for the current review of the setting of unsprayed buffer zones for arable sprayers with the primary objective of the work to generate data for airborne and ground deposited spray drift arising from typical arable current spraying practices. Data currently used by the Chemicals Safety Directorate relates to spraying practices involving tractor forward speeds of 8 k/h and boom heights of 50cm above a short crop (<15cm height) with boom widths of 12m. Modern practices for arable spraying involve spraying at tractor forward speeds of >10k/h (see reference to Pesticide Usage Survey data) and boom heights of 0.5 to 1.0m above the crop with boom widths of 24m or greater and the project has also been extended to include buffer zones for mature winter cereal crops.

3. A LINK project "Optimising pesticide use in arable agriculture by improving nozzle selection based on product efficacy to give optimised use and improved spray drift control" seeks to extend an existing BCPC spray classification scheme to include a wider range of spray generation systems so that systems to control drift with a minimum of risk for reduced product efficacy can be effectively promoted.

For more information about any of our work described above or to discuss with a member of our team how we could work with you, please contact

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Publications

Glass R; (2008) Measures to reduce exposure of rural communities to pesticides Toxicology Letters 180,S22-S22.

Glass R; (2008) Chronic and long-term effects of pesticides use in agriculture: Current knowledge and limits Toxicology Letters 180,S21-S21.

Hughes EA;Flores AP;Ramos LM;Zalts A;Glass CR;Montserrat JM; (2008) Potential dermal exposure to deltamethrin and risk assessment for manual sprayers: Influence of crop type Science of the Total Environment 391(1),34-40.

Aust GF;Wilkinson S;Dunn M;Glass R;Williams FM; (2007) Influence of formulation on the dermal absorption of pesticide actives at spray dilution concentrations Toxicology 231(2-3),112-113.

Glass CR;Mathers JJ; (2006) Novel spray test for evaluation of materials suitable for protective coveralls for spray applicators Aspects of Applied Biology 77,241-246.

Hughes EA;Zalts A;Ojeda JJ;Flores AP;Glass RC;Montserrat JM; (2006) Analytical method for assessing potential dermal exposure to captan, using whole body dosimetry, in small vegetable production units in Argentina Pest Management Science 62(9),811-818.

Mathers JJ;Glass CR;Harrington P;Smith S; (2006) Techniques for the estimation of bystander exposure Aspects of Applied Biology 77,253-257.

Research Area Three

The Environmental Risk Assessment team has full GLP compliance. Ecotoxicity testing capabilities include honeybees, bumble bees, other beneficial arthropods, acute and reproduction tests with earthworms, palatability studies in birds and mammals, avian reproduction studies and bespoke field studies. The tests we undertake on a routine basis include:

  • Standard laboratory acute contact and oral toxicity in honeybees
  • Honeybee brood tests under field conditions
  • Honeybee semi-field (cage) tests
  • Honeybee field tests
  • Other beneficial arthropods (Aphidius, T pyri etc)
  • Earthworms (acute and repro)
  • Avoidance/palatability testing of seeds and granules for birds and mammals
  • Plant studies (seedling growth and emergence; vegetative vigour)
  • Avian reproduction

We are also capable of undertaking more specialised tests based on our extensive research expertise.

Our Application Hazards team has expertise in exposure assessment and modelling, having played a key role in the development of UK POEM and EUROPOEM. The team is GLP compliant and can offer regulatory operator exposure studies for both professional and amateur products. Studies have been undertaken for private sector customers as part of the Safe Use Initiative in Spain, Portugal and Greece. These studies have used Fera expertise in field and laboratory evaluation of protective clothing for pesticide applicators. In particular the problems of heat stress and the availability of suitable PPE were addressed. Following OECD guidelines we can provide the following types of data required by directive 91/414 EEC:

  • potential dermal exposure
  • absorbed dose (biomonitoring)
  • inhalation exposure

These data can be generated for:

  • operator exposure (applicator and mixer-loader)
  • re-entry exposure
  • bystander exposure

Data for spray drift can also be generated, and the team has extensive knowledge of PPE performance and capabilities. Fera is one of only two accredited laboratories able to undertake evaluations by industry to claim LERAP low drift status for application equipment.