- Project number: F 2343
- Institution: Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) / Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Institut für Arbeits-, Sozial- und Umweltmedizin
- Status: Completed Project
Description:
In Germany, the recent spreading of the OPM (oak processionary moth) caterpillars in forests, residential and recreational areas poses an increasing threat for human health and infested oak trees. Affected are forestry workers, promenaders and residents as well as pest control operators and firefighters. For protection of human health, pest management and plant protection, various measures controlling OPM are performed. These control measures shall be sustainable and concerted and include manual removal of webbing nests as well as spray application of chemical and biological biocides or pesticides.
This project is conducted in cooperation with the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR). It aims to investigate all aspects of exposure occurring during OPM control measures with chemical agents. The results will then be transferred to the authorisation processes for biocidal products and plant protection products. The project will focus on dermal and inhalation exposure during spay application for OPM control. Thus, the results will directly support the exposure assessment as part of the authorisation processes conducted by BAuA and BfR. In addition, different types of spray application will be compared in terms of exposure for both professionals and bystanders and, therefore, application techniques resulting in low(er) exposure may be identified. Subsequently, a preference for these techniques may be introduced into the authorisation of certain biocides/pesticides.
