Group | Agricultural Health

The Agricultural Health Group focuses on the sustainable transition of food production systems and its impact on health and well-being. This is done from farm to fork, studying farm families, rural communities and consumers.

We also address the pesticide exposome (i.e., long-term exposure to pesticide mixtures) and the integration of environmental and human health risks and benefits using ONE Health approaches.

The Pesticide Exposome and Its Impact on Health and Well-Being of Farmer Families

The project aims to advance the characterisation of the pesticide exposome and associated neurological and respiratory health risks of farm families in LMICs, building on data collected over the past six years. It will also assess the impact of conversion to organic farming on the health and well-being of farming families over time. Read more

Tractor sprays insecticide in vineyard

PARVAL

The Exposure to Pesticides by Air and Respiratory Health in School Children in VALais, Switzerland (PARVAL) study aims to assess pesticide exposure in school children in Valais, Switzerland. We will do this by exploring the short-term association between pesticide exposure and respiratory health in primary schoolchildren living near vineyards and fruit orchards, taking the context of non-pesticide-related inhalants (i.e., air pollution) and pollen exposure into consideration. Read more

APSENT - African Pesticide Intervention Project

The overall objective of the study was to better understand ongoing research and public health activities related to interventions in Africa through the implementation of suitable target-specific situations or use contexts. This included a qualitative survey of stakeholders involved in pesticide research and management in Africa to learn more about barriers and facilitators to successful interventions. Read more

Partners and Collaborators

Christian Lindh, Lund University

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University

Centre for Environmental and Occupational Health Research, University of Cape Town

Selected Publications

All Publications

Rosa M.J et al. Association of pesticide exposure with neurobehavioral outcomes among avocado farmworkers in Mexico. Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2024;256:114322. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2024.114322

Veludo A.F et al. Child exposure to organophosphate and pyrethroid insecticides measured in urine, wristbands, and household dust and its implications for child health in South Africa: a panel study. Environ Epidemiol. 2024;8(1):e282. DOI: 10.1097/EE9.0000000000000282

Chow R et al. Seasonal drivers and risks of aquatic pesticide pollution in drought and post-drought conditions in three Mediterranean watersheds. Sci Total Environ. 2023;858(Part 2):159784. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159784

Fuhrimann S et al. Self-reported and urinary biomarker-based measures of exposure to glyphosate and mancozeb and sleep problems among smallholder farmers in Uganda. Environ Int. 2023;182:108277. DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.108277

Hofmann B et al. Barriers to evidence use for sustainability: insights from pesticide policy and practice. Ambio. 2023;52(2):425-439. DOI: 10.1007/s13280-022-01790-4

Marcu D, Keyser S, Petrik L, Fuhrimann S, Maree L. Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) and male reproductive health: challenging the future with a double-edged sword. Toxics. 2023;11(4):330. DOI: 10.3390/toxics11040330

Ottenbros I.B et al. Urinary pesticide mixture patterns and exposure determinants in the adult population from the Netherlands and Switzerland: application of a suspect screening approach. Environ Res. 2023;239(Pt 1):117216. DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117216

Degrendele C et al. Current use pesticides in soil and air from two agricultural sites in South Africa: implications for environmental fate and human exposure. Sci Total Environ. 2022;807(Pt 1):150455. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150455

Degrendele C et al. Human exposure to pesticides in dust from two agricultural sites in South Africa. Toxics. 2022;10(10):629. DOI: 10.3390/toxics10100629

Fuhrimann S et al. Quantitative assessment of multiple pesticides in silicone wristbands of children/guardian pairs living in agricultural areas in South Africa. Sci Total Environ. 2022;812:152330. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152330