Development of a selective testing method to pesticide aerosols for characterization and comparison of agricultural tractor cabs classified according to EN 15695-1

Abstract

Only preliminary results from tactile tests are currently available on the exposure-reducing effect of different tractor cabs according to EN 15695-1. Scientifically reliable data are not available. To close this gap, a project was initiated by the Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) and by the Social Insurance for Agriculture, Forestry and Horticulture (SVLFG) – with the participation of the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR). Due to the expertise and the available technical facilities (machinery and laboratories), corresponding tests were carried out by the Institute for Application Techniques in Plant Protection at the Julius Kühn Institute (JKI), Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants. As part of the project, data was collected to enable a well-founded review of the management decision on the protective effect of the different type of cabins mentioned in EN 15695-1. The current paper gives an overview about the methodology developed for gathering the data.

Keywords

• plant protection
• agricultural tractor cabs
• EN 15695-1
• protective level
• testing method