The assessment of particle spray drift damage for ten major crops in Belgium

According to the Council Directive 91/414/EC pesticide damage should be assessed by considering the risk for persons arising from occupational, non-dietary exposure and risk to the environment. In this research an assessment for pesticide damage by droplet spray drift in grassland was set up. The percentages of droplet spray drift were estimated by field experiments in a meadow. A standard spraying was compared to some drift-reducing techniques. Knowing the percentages of drift and the applied doses of pesticide formulation in grassland, the human and environmental exposures (water and bottom) were predicted. Thereupon risk indices were calculated for water organisms, soil organisms and bystanders. A risk index is the ratio of a predicted exposure to a toxicological reference value and gives an indication of the severity of the adverse effects likely to occur.