Test procedure for drift reducing equipment

Drift is one of the main paths of plant protection products to non-target organisms. In Germany great efforts are made to reduce drift. Therefore sprayers are tested concerning their drift reducing ability in relation to the German basic drift values which have been determined on the basis of more than 180 drift trials with conventional sprayers. A classification system with classes of at least 50 %, 75 % and 90 % drift reduction has been introduced. Sprayers which meet the requirements of the German guideline are listed in the list of drift reducing sprayers. Nearly all of the sprayers are equipped with air injection nozzles to produce larger droplets. In orchards and hops further measures like shields on fan outlets, green detectors or tunnels are necessary to achieve the respective drift classes. Newer trials show that a drift reduction of 99 % in orchards is possible

How does exposure to pesticides vary in space and time for residents living near to treated orchards?

This study investigated changes over 25 years (1987-2012) in pesticide usage in orchards in England and Wales and associated changes to exposure and risk for resident pregnant women living 100 and 1000 m downwind of treated areas. A model was developed to estimate aggregated daily exposure to pesticides via inhaled vapour and indirect dermal contact with contaminated ground, whilst risk was expressed as a hazard quotient (HQ) for reproductive and/or developmental endpoints. Results show the largest changes occurred between 1987 and 1996 with total pesticide usage reduced by ca. 25%, exposure per unit of pesticide applied slightly increased, and a reduction in risk per unit exposure by factors of 1.4 to 5. Thereafter, there were no consistent changes in use between 1996 and 2012, with an increase in number of applications to each crop balanced by a decrease in average application rate. Exposure per unit of pesticide applied decreased consistently over this period such that values in 2012 for this metric were 48-65% of those in 1987, and there were further smaller decreases in risk per unit exposure. All aggregated hazard quotients were two to three orders of magnitude smaller than one, despite the inherent simplifications of assuming co-occurrence of exposure to all pesticides and additivity of effects. Hazard quotients at 1000 m were 5 to 30 times smaller than those at 100 m. There were clear signals of the impact of regulatory intervention in improving the fate and hazard profiles of pesticides over the period investigated

In situ Determination of Nitrate and Hydrogen Sulfide in the Baltic Sea Using an Ultraviolet Spectrophotometer

Evaluating the health status of marine ecosystems becomes ever increasingly important especially against the backdrop of rising pressures from human activities. This is true especially for coastal seas such as the Baltic Sea that is surrounded by highly industrialized countries. Nutrients and pollutants such as nitrate and hydrogen sulfide, which have a major impact on ecosystem functioning, are two of several key environmental indicators for assessing the status of natural waters, and therefore of considerable interest. The frequency and the spatial coverage of the nitrate and hydrogen sulfide measurements are currently limited by the cost of the laboratory analysis and personnel. Optical in situ sensors can help to overcome this challenge by allowing reagentless and fast detection of dissolved chemical species. A chemical-free optical sensor has been used for direct and simultaneous measurements of both key parameters, and the results were compared with traditional methods. The data were collected during an observational program conducted in the Baltic Sea in February 2018. We used the OPUS UV spectral sensor, which was deployed for the first time in coastal waters, in combination with a deep-sea telemetry system to enable near-real time measurements during CTD profiling. Data processing was carried out using a multiple linear regression procedure. Measurements from both OPUS and on-board analysis were in good agreement. The results showed, that in situ UV-VIS spectrophotometry provides the capability to determine the concentration distributions of nitrate and hydrogen sulfide in the brackish waters of the Baltic Sea

Pulmonary delivery of vancomycin dry powder aerosol to intubated rabbits

TGX-221 is a potent, selective, and cell membrane permeable inhibitor of the PI3K p110β catalytic subunit. Recent studies showed that TGX-221 has anti-proliferative activity against PTEN-deficient tumor cell lines including prostate cancers. The objective of this study was to develop an encapsulation system for parenterally delivering TGX-221 to the target tissue through a prostate-specific membrane aptamer (PSMAa10) with little or no side effects. In this study, PEG-PCL micelles were formulated to encapsulate the drug, and a prodrug strategy was pursued to improve the stability of the carrier system. Fluorescence imaging studies demonstrated that the cellular uptake of both drug and nanoparticles were significantly improved by targeted micelles in a PSMA positive cell line. The area under the plasma concentration time curve of the micelle formulation in nude mice was 2.27-fold greater than the naked drug, and the drug clearance rate was 17.5-fold slower. These findings suggest a novel formulation approach for improving site-specific drug delivery of a molecular-targeted prostate cancer treatment

Joined spray drift curves for boom sprayers in The Netherlands and Germany

This report gives a summary of the outcome of the analyses of the spray drift data for boom sprayers from Germany and The Netherlands