Pesticide Transport Research Articles

Evaluating earthworms as candidates for remediating pesticide contaminated agricultural soil: A review

Alterations of soil characteristics that result in reduction in ecosystem services invariably cause soil quality degradation. Such changes could be caused due to a variety of stressors, which might be physical, chemical, or biological and come from both anthropogenic and natural causes. Out of the wide variety of soil pollutants, agrochemicals contaminate soil biota the most. Numerous research’ findings have confirmed that soil has been the most preferred site for the disposal of xenobiotics and therefore is likely to be the source of contamination for other natural resources like ground and surface waters. The ecological risk associated with contaminated soils depends on many physicochemical and biological processes that govern the transport and transformation of pesticides. Nevertheless, the persistence of pesticides in soil is a serious threat to both below and above ground organisms which play key roles in sustaining soil functions. One of the viable methods to decontaminate soil is by utilizing living soil biota selectively. This process called. Bioremediation has traditionally been employed to remove chemical residues from soil or to lessen their toxicity levels. Although microbes have been extensively used for bioremediation, chemical breakdown and remediation are significantly aided by certain dominant soil fauna, such as earthworms. Since they modify soil quality, earthworms are regarded as soil engineers. Earthworms can participate in the degradation of pesticide residues, either directly through the release of detoxifying enzymes in their gut or indirectly through their positive influence on microbial populations which could degrade pesticides. The earthworm supported pesticide degradation is largely confined to the gut microenvironment and the soil processed by the worms. The impact of earthworm species on pesticide degradation is widely variable which could be related to their feeding habits and microhabitats. Molecular docking studies have provided evidence in support of binding of organic molecules with agrochemicals. High level of organic matter in soil is expected to increase the binding of hydrophobic pesticides to organic ligands with consequent reduction in their bioavailability to microorganisms and increasing their persistence. Activities of earthworms is likely to induce growth of aerobic microbes capable of pesticide degradation. Among the various earthworm species, Lumbricus terrestris, Perionyx excavatus and Metaphire posthuma have shown promising results as remediating agents of pesticides contaminating farm soils. The present article focuses on the remediation process of hazardous pesticide polluted soil using biological agent like earthworm. This approach may be both efficient and environmentally beneficial.

Spatial Control of Microbial Pesticide Degradation in Soil: A Model-Based Scenario Analysis.

Microbial pesticide degraders are heterogeneously distributed in soil. Their spatial aggregation at the millimeter scale reduces the frequency of degrader–pesticide encounter and can introduce transport limitations to pesticide degradation. We simulated reactive pesticide transport in soil to investigate the fate of the widely used herbicide 4-chloro-2-methylphenoxyacetic acid (MCPA) in response to differently aggregated distributions of degrading microbes. Four scenarios were defined covering millimeter scale heterogeneity from homogeneous (pseudo-1D) to extremely heterogeneous degrader distributions and two precipitation scenarios with either continuous light rain or heavy rain events. Leaching from subsoils did not occur in any scenario. Within the topsoil, increasing spatial heterogeneity of microbial degraders reduced macroscopic degradation rates, increased MCPA leaching, and prolonged the persistence of residual MCPA. In heterogeneous scenarios, pesticide degradation was limited by the spatial separation of degrader and pesticide, which was quantified by the spatial covariance between MCPA and degraders. Heavy rain events temporarily lifted these transport constraints in heterogeneous scenarios and increased degradation rates. Our results indicate that the mild millimeter scale spatial heterogeneity of degraders typical for arable topsoil will have negligible consequences for the fate of MCPA, but strong clustering of degraders can delay pesticide degradation.

Study of the Potential Accumulation of the Pesticide Alpha-Endosulfan by Microplastics in Water Systems.

Microplastics (MP) are spread into all ecosystems and represent a threat to the equilibrium of the environment and human health, not only due to their intrinsic characteristics but also to their action as effective carriers of contaminants, such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals, polychlorinated biphenyls and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The pesticide α-endosulfan is persistent and spread in the environment. The MP are another possible way of dissemination to be considered in the fate of this pesticide. The adsorption dynamics of α-endosulfan by six different MP (low-density polyethylene—LDPE, polyethylene-co-vinyl acetate, unplasticized polyvinyl chloride, polyamide 6, polystyrene granule, polypropylene granule) with different sizes/shapes and chemical compositions were evaluated. The most critical situation was identified for the system LDPE (particle size < 300 μm). Equilibrium studies (48 h equilibrium time) were performed for distilled, tap and filtered river water. Based on the Langmuir model parameters, the highest maximum adsorption capacity was obtained for distilled water, followed by filtered river and tap waters (i.e., 366 ± 39, 247 ± 38, 157 ± 22 μg/g). The obtained results demonstrate the important role that microplastics may have in the fate and transport of pesticides and their potentially harmful effect on the environment, which requires further investigation.

Pesticide fate at watershed scale: A new framework integrating multimedia behavior with hydrological processes

Pesticide pollution has been one serious ecological and environmental issue due to its wide application, high toxicity, and complex environmental behavior. The fugacity model has been widely used to quantify biogeochemical cycles of pesticides due to its clear compartments, simple structure, and easy-accessible data. However, the lack of detailed hydrological processes limits its application for large and heterogeneous watershed. In present study, a new framework was proposed through integration of hydrological processes of SWAT and pesticide fate of fugacity model, and was applied into a typical watershed in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area, China. The results showed that surface runoff, soil erosion, and percolation varied spatiotemporally, which highlighted the importance of considering regional and seasonal heterogeneity of pesticide transport variables in the fugacity model. The amount of dichlorvos (DDV) and chlorpyrifos (CHP) in air, water, soil, and sediment phase were estimated as 0.26 kg, 19.77 kg, 1.06 × 104 kg, and 0.55 kg, respectively. Spatiotemporally, pesticide concentrations in water phase peaked in summer, while the middle and southwest regions of the watershed were identified as the hotspots for pesticide pollution. Compared with the classical model, the new framework provided technical support for the pesticide assessment at watershed scale with heterogeneous hydrological conditions, which can be easily extended to other watersheds, and integrated with other models for comprehensive agricultural management.

Pesticides are Substantially Transported in Particulate Phase, Driven by Land use, Rainfall Event and Pesticide Characteristics—A Runoff and Erosion Study in a Small Agricultural Catchment

Agriculture on sloping lands is prone to processes of overland flow and associated soil detachment, transportation, and deposition. The transport of pesticides to off-target areas related to runoff processes and soil erosion poses a threat of pollution to the downstream environment. This study aimed to quantify transport of pesticides both dissolved in water and in the particulate phase in transported sediments. Particulate phase transport of pesticides on short temporal time scales from agricultural fields is scarcely studied. During two growing seasons (2019 and 2020) rainfall—runoff events were monitored in a catchment of 38.5 ha. We selected 30 different pesticides and one metabolite based on interviews with the farmers on the application pattern. Concentrations for these 31 residues were analyzed in runoff water (dissolved phase–DP) and sediment (particulate phase–PP) and in soil samples taken in the agricultural fields. In all runoff events active substances (AS) were detected. There was a clear difference between DP and PP with 0–5 and 8–18 different AS detected in the events, respectively. Concentrations in PP were higher than in DP, with factors ranging from 12 to 3,700 times. DP transport mainly occurs in the first days after application (69% within 10 days), and PP transport occurs over the long term with 90% of transported mass within 100 days after application. Potato cultivation was the main source of runoff, erosion, and pesticide transport. Cereals and apples with grassed inter-rows both have a very low risk of pesticide transport during overland flow. We conclude that for arable farming on sloping lands overland transport of pesticide in the particulate phase is a substantial transport pathway, which can contribute to pollution over longer time periods compared to transport in water. This process needs to be considered in future assessments for pesticide fate and environmental risk.

Assessing pesticide fate and transport following modeling approach: A case study of fipronil in the Sakura River watershed, Japan

Assessing pesticide fate and transport following modeling approach: A case study of fipronil in the Sakura River watershed, Japan

Review of Rain or Shine: An Introduction to Soil Physical Properties and Processes. Tyson Ochsner. Published by Oklahoma State University Libraries under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Version 6. Last updated 19 Jan. 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/Z4RBT

Review of <i>Rain or Shine: An Introduction to Soil Physical Properties and Processes</i>. Tyson Ochsner. Published by Oklahoma State University Libraries under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Version 6. Last updated 19 Jan. 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/Z4RBT

Modelling Water and Pesticide Transport in Soil with MACRO 5.2: Calibration with Lysimetric Data

Assessing the risk of using pesticides for the environment in general, and for groundwater in particular, necessitates prediction of pesticide migration. For this purpose, mathematical models of pesticide behavior are utilized, which must be parameterized and calibrated based on experimental data to make them perform properly. The behavior of the pesticide cyantraniliprole was examined in a long-term lysimetric experiment. The MACRO 5.2 dual porosity model was calibrated based on the percolate and the levels of pesticides in the soil profile and percolate. Despite employing experimentally verified soil parameters and pedotransfer functions (PTF), the model must be calibrated for percolation. This is due to the model’s properties as well as the complexity of the soil as an object of study, and its pore space, which is subject to daily and annual fluctuations. It is the parameters that describe the structure of the pore space that need to be calibrated. Calibrating for pesticide concentrations required a minor revision of the sorption and transformation rates, as well as an increase in the dispersivity and ASCALE values.

Assessing pesticide fate and transport following modeling approach: A case study of fipronil in the Sakura River watershed, Japan

Assessing pesticide fate and transport following modeling approach: A case study of fipronil in the Sakura River watershed, Japan

Pesticide concentrations in agricultural storm drainage inlets of a small Swiss catchment

Agricultural pesticides transported to surface waters pose a major risk for aquatic ecosystems. Modelling studies indicate that the inlets of agricultural storm drainage systems can considerably increase the connectivity of surface runoff and pesticides to surface waters. These model results have however not yet been validated with field measurements. In this study, we measured discharge and concentrations of 51 pesticides in four out of 158 storm drainage inlets of a small Swiss agricultural catchment (2.8 km2) and in the receiving stream. For this, we performed an event-triggered sampling during 19 rain events and collected plot-specific pesticide application data. Our results show that agricultural storm drainage inlets strongly influence surface runoff and pesticide transport in the study catchment. The concentrations of single pesticides in inlets amounted up to 62 µg/L. During some rain events, transport through single inlets caused more than 10% of the stream load of certain pesticides. An extrapolation to the entire catchment suggests that during selected events on average 30 to 70% of the load in the stream was transported through inlets. Pesticide applications on fields with surface runoff or spray drift potential to inlets led to increased concentrations in the corresponding inlets. Overall, this study corroborates the relevance of such inlets for pesticide transport by establishing a connectivity between fields and surface waters, and by their potential to deliver substantial pesticide loads to surface waters.

Procena rizika sadržaja pesticida u zemljištu kao funkcija osobina zemljišta, pesticida i padavina (kiše), upotrebom numeričkog modela HYDRUS 1D

It has been observed through experiments that many chemicals especially pesticides found in streams and groundwater bodies are transported through surface runoff and/or preferential flow processes. Researchers have also proved that the timing and nature of rainfall since the last pesticide application are often described as significant controls on pesticide transport through flow processes. Rainfall variability is now considered as the climate drivers on contaminant transport. The amount of pesticides transported through surface runoff and/or preferential flow pathways to streams and groundwater respectively has been shown to be strongly correlated with the concentration of that chemical in a thin near-surface layer of the soil immediately prior to such an event. The thin near-surface layer of a soil is regarded as the source where all the dynamics of solute transport starts. The thin near-surface layer is the store of pesticide from which they are leached by both fast episodic as well as slow steady processes. In this research, we seek to better understand the idea of driver-source-trigger concept of pesticide solute transport in the subsurface. The driver (rainfall variability) triggers (surface runoff and/or preferential flow) from the source (a thin near-surface layer) for pesticides transport to stream and/or groundwater. The methodology for this study is by the use of HYDRUS 1D Numerical Model.

Heavy rainfall following a summer drought stimulates soil redox dynamics and facilitates rapid and deep translocation of glyphosate in floodplain soils.

We present field data on the effects of heavy rainfall after drought on the mobility of glyphosate and redox conditions in a clayey floodplain soil. By applying glyphosate together with deuterated water as conservative tracer in combination with time resolved in situ redox potential measurements, the spatial and temporal patterns of water infiltration and pesticide transport as well as the concomitant changes of the redox conditions were revealed. Our findings demonstrate that shrinkage cracks in dry soils can serve as effective transport paths for atmospheric oxygen, water and glyphosate. The rain intensity of a typical summer storm event (approx. 25 mm within one hour) was sufficient to translocate deuterated water and glyphosate to the subsoil (50 cm) within 2 hours. Soil wetting induced partial closure of the shrinkage cracks and stimulated microbial activity resulting in pronounced dynamics of in situ soil redox conditions. Redox potentials in 40 to 50 cm depth dropped permanently to strongly reducing conditions within hours to days but fluctuated between reducing and oxidizing conditions in 10 to 30 cm depth. Our findings highlight the close link between the presence of macropores (shrinkage cracks), heavy rainfall after drought, redox dynamics and pesticide translocation to the subsoil and thus call for further studies addressing the effects of dynamic redox conditions as a limiting factor for glyphosate degradation.

Deposition law of flat fan nozzle for pesticide application in horticultural plants

Pesticide spraying is to protect the plants with adequate target coverage and a minimum of off-target drift. Understanding the spatial distribution characteristics of spray droplets is essential for regulating pesticide deposition, in order to investigate the relationship between the two at the mechanistic level and provide an accurate basis for nozzle selection, this study compared the characteristics of the atomization field under different pressures, angles, and flow rate types by phase Doppler particle analyzer (PDPA), the unit spatial density of droplet was used as a link to explore the internal mechanism that affects the deposition efficiency by constructing a transport model and conducting actual spraying experiments. The results showed that the cumulative distribution of droplet diameter could be perfectly fitted by the Rosin-Rammler correlation, and the deposition efficiency had a strong correlation with the peak particle size range. For strawberry and chrysanthemum plants, the optimal droplet deposition particle size ranges were 250-270 μm and 240-260 μm, respectively. This article explained the deposition efficiency from a single droplet dynamics mechanism and deposition of droplet cloud, which provided a new research idea for the study of precision plant protection. Keywords: pesticide transport, deposition, atomization field, PDPA DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20221504.7502 Citation: Wu X Y, Jia Y L, Luo B, Chen C C, Wang Y X, Kang F, et al. Deposition law of flat fan nozzle for pesticide application in horticultural plants. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2022; 15(4): 27–38.

Influence of hydrodynamic dispersion and nonequilibrium sorption on the prediction of pesticide concentrations in lysimetric leachate

The article discusses issues related to the development of pesticide modeling in the environment and its use in order to regulate the circulation of pesticides. As the study of the literature and the author's experience in using mathematical models shows, the main problem and source of errors in modeling is the quality of the input data for the soil block of the model, as well as those characterizing the properties of the pesticide. Using the results of a carefully conducted lysimetric experiment to study the migration of cyantraniliprole outside the soil profile, as well as auxiliary studies, the influence of hydrodynamic dispersion on the behavior of the insecticide and the results of modeling is shown. The parameters of its non-equilibrium sorption by the soil were calculated according to the data of the laboratory experiment investigating the dynamics of decomposition of cyantraniliprole. The article confirms the need to take these processes into account when modeling the transport of pesticides.

Pesticide trends in a tailwater recovery system in the Mississippi Delta

AbstractTailwater recovery (TWR) systems are an important best management practice (BMP) used to address both water quality and quantity issues in the Mississippi Delta region. Tailwater recovery systems are surface water capture‐and‐irrigation reuse systems using a combination of ditches to capture surface water, an on‐farm storage (OFS) reservoir to store captured surface water, and pumps to move surface water from ditches to the reservoir and from the reservoir to irrigate nearby fields. It is anticipated that TWR systems improve water quality by allowing agricultural contaminants to settle out in ditches and reservoirs rather than being transported during irrigation to nearby fields and downstream aquatic systems. To determine if TWR systems are an effective way to reduce downstream pesticide transport, water samples from a ditch‐and‐reservoir TWR system in Sunflower County, MS, were routinely collected and analyzed for 5 yr. Objectives of this study were to assess seasonal pesticide and pesticide metabolite concentrations throughout the different components of the TWR system and identify any trends that may exist. Atrazine‐desethyl, atrazine‐desisopropyl, atrazine, clomazone, propanil, fipronil desulfinyl, metolachlor, fipronil, p,p'‐DDT, bifenthrin, beta‐cyfluthrin, and zeta‐cypermethrin were found in every season in both ditch and reservoir samples. Several pesticides that have not been used in the United States for decades were detected including DDT and its metabolites as well as dieldrin, heptachlor, lindane, and methyl parathion, demonstrating their environmental persistence. The reservoir featured more types and higher concentrations of pesticides, indicating a possible risk of cross‐crop injury from the recycling of the water from the reservoir for irrigation.

Are spray drift losses to agricultural roads more important for surface water contamination than direct drift to surface waters?

Spray drift is considered a major pesticide transport pathway to surface waters. Current research and legislation usually only considers direct spray drift. However, also spray drift on roads and subsequent wash-off to surface waters was identified as a possible transport pathway. Hydraulic shortcuts (storm drainage inlets, channel drains, ditches) have been shown to connect roads to surface waters, thus increasing the risk of drift wash-off to surface waters. However, the importance of this pathway has never been assessed on larger scales. To address this knowledge gap, we studied 26 agricultural catchments with a predominance of arable cropping (n = 17) and vineyards (n = 9). In these study sites, we assessed the occurrence of shortcuts by field mapping. Afterwards, we modelled the areas of roads drained to surface waters using a high-resolution digital elevation model (0.5 m resolution) and a multiple flow algorithm. Finally, we modelled drift deposition to drained roads and surface waters using a spatially explicit, georeferenced spray drift model. Our results show that for most sites, the drift to drained roads is much larger than the direct drift to surface waters. In arable land sites, drift to roads exceeds the direct drift by a factor of 4.5 to 18, and in vineyard sites by 35 to 140. In arable land sites, drift to drained roads is rather small (0.0015% to 0.0049% of applied amount) compared to typical total pesticide losses to surface waters. However, substantial drift to drained roads in vineyard sites was found (0.063% to 0.20% of applied amount). Current literature suggests that major fractions of the drift deposited on roads can be washed off during rain events, especially for pesticides with low soil adsorption coefficients. For such pesticides and particularly in vineyards, spray drift wash-off from drained roads is therefore expected to be a major transport pathway to surface waters.

Effects of two synthetic pyrethroids on Arthrospira platensis Gomont growth and antioxidant parameters

The transport of pesticides from application areas to other areas results in pesticide contamination and this sort of contamination has led to unexpected environmental problems worldwide. It is important to determine the responses of phytoplanktonic organisms to these chemicals for an understanding of the effects of pesticides on aquatic ecosystems. In this study, Arthrospira platensis Gomont cyanobacteria were exposed to different concentrations of the pesticides cypermethrin (0-50 µg mL-1) and deltamethrin (0-2 µg mL-1). Changes in chlorophyll-a concentration, the absorbance of OD560, antioxidant parameters (SOD, APX, GR, MDA, H2O2, and proline) were determined under the pesticide exposure. Our results showed that there is a decrease in OD560 absorbance and chlorophyll-a content proportionate to the increase of pesticide levels. Superoxide dismutase enzyme activity decreased with Cyp and Dlm application in A. platensis cultures. Glutathione reductase enzyme activity also decreased with Cyp applications but did not change with Dlm application. Ascorbate peroxidase enzyme activity increased with Cyp treatments but did not change with Dlm applications. Although malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide contents did not change with Cyp applications, they increased with Dlm applications. Proline contents increased with Cyp applications but decreased with Dlm applications. In conclusion, deltamethrin is more toxic than cypermethrin in the concentrations applied.

Ardières‐Morcille in the Beaujolais, France: A research catchment dedicated to study of the transport and impacts of diffuse agricultural pollution in rivers

AbstractThe 8‐km2 Morcille catchment, which is a sub‐catchment of the 150‐km2 Ardières catchment in the Beaujolais region of France, is one of the first sites in Europe where research has been conducted on surface water contamination by pesticides. A consolidated hydrological and chemical dataset has been set up with data collected since 2002 on the Morcille River and since 2011 on the Ardières River. Additional data on the ecotoxicological and ecological impacts of pesticides on aquatic microbial communities and macroinvertebrates has also been recorded in both rivers since 2005. The ‘Site Atelier Ardières‐Morcille Dataset’ described here combines rainfall and stream water height measurements at gauged stations with concentrations of two trace elements and nine pesticides (mainly herbicides, fungicides and some of their metabolites) in both the Ardières and Morcille rivers. All contaminant concentration data showed spatial and temporal variability in water quality associated with pesticide use and rainfall patterns. This long‐term monitoring framework made it possible to estimate the persistence of two herbicides (diuron and norflurazon) after legislation banning them. It took 4 years for diuron and more than 10 years for norflurazon concentrations to fall below 0.1 μg/L. Concurrent biological data showed a gradient of impacts consistent with chemical anthropogenic pressure, and rapid recovery of phototrophic microbial communities after the diuron ban. Finally, monitoring data on pesticide transport in a grassed strip set on a slope of the Morcille catchment confirmed that vegetative filter strips can effectively reduce diuron fluxes in surface runoff (&gt;80% abatement) and infiltration water (&gt;70% abatement). The full dataset offers a valuable resource for the validation of hydrological models and the development of global approaches to better understand the pressure–transport–exposure–impact chain and aquatic community resilience at the small catchment scale.

Monitoring of Environmental Contaminants in Mixed-Use Watersheds Combining Targeted and Nontargeted Analysis with Passive Sampling.

Understanding the environmental fate, transport, and occurrence of pesticides and pharmaceuticals in aquatic environments is of utmost concern to regulators. Traditionally, monitoring of environmental contaminants in surface water has consisted of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analyses for a set of targeted compounds in discrete samples. These targeted approaches are limited by the fact that they only provide information on compounds within a target list present at the time and location of sampling. To address these limitations, there has been considerable interest in suspect screening and nontargeted analysis (NTA), which allow for the detection of all ionizable compounds in the sample with the added benefit of data archiving for retrospective mining. Even though NTA can detect a large number of contaminants, discrete samples only provide a snapshot perspective of the chemical disposition of an aquatic environment at the time of sampling, potentially missing episodic events. We evaluated two types of passive chemical samplers for nontargeted analysis in mixed-use watersheds. Nontargeted data were processed using MS-DIAL to screen against our in-house library and public databases of more than 1300 compounds. The data showed that polar organic chemicals integrative samplers (POCIS) were able to capture the largest number of analytes with better reproducibility than organic compound-diffusive gradients in thin film (o-DGT), resulting from the greater amount of binding sorbent. We also showed that NTA combined with passive sampling gives a more representative picture of the contaminants present at a given site and enhances the ability to identify the nature of point and nonpoint pollution sources and ecotoxicological impacts. Environ Toxicol Chem 2022;41:1131-1143. © 2021 Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry © 2021 SETAC. Reproduced with the permission of the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

Безпека праці при виконанні робіт із пестицидами: стан правового забезпечення

The article is devoted to the analysis of the current state of legal protection of labor protection when performing work with pesticides, as well as the formulation on its basis of conclusions and proposals aimed at improving the current legislation in this area. It is established that the process of updating labor legislation is currently underway in Ukraine. In particular, through the adoption of regulations governing the rules of labor protection when working with certain types of chemicals (for example, ammonium nitrate). As a result of the study of current legislation in the field of labor protection when working with pesticides, it was concluded that the basic documents (State Sanitary Rules 8.8.1.2.001-98 «Transportation, storage and use of pesticides in the national economy» and State Sanitary Rules and Norms 8.8.1.2.3.4-000-2001 «Permissible doses, concentrations, quantities and levels of pesticides in agricultural raw materials, foodstuffs, air of the working area, atmospheric air, water of reservoirs, soil») are not able to regulate properly appropriate relations due to the obsolescence of their provisions. The main shortcomings of State Sanitary Rules 8.8.1.2.001-98 are determined: references in its content to already invalid regulations on labor protection, inconsistency with modern developments in the field of hygiene and toxicology of pesticides; unreasonably detailed regulation, which results in an excessive burden on business entities and leads to formalism in the implementation of the provisions of this document by employers; incorrect «rigid» regulation of the choice of personal protective equipment for work with pesticides. The directions of improvement of the legislation in the field of labor protection at performance of works with pesticides are defined. Among them: introduction of a risk-oriented approach to the organization of labor protection, including in the field of agriculture; borrowing positive international experience in the field of awareness of stakeholders on the hygienic regulation of pesticide use, the necessary safety measures for work with the use of such substances. Keywords: occupational safety, dangerous production factor, labor protection regulations, labor protection, pesticides, legal support, agriculture