Herbicide exposure during occupational knapsack spraying in French gardeners and municipal workers.

This article focuses on assessing dermal and respiratory exposure to glyphosate among French landscapers, private gardeners, and municipal workers using knapsack sprayers in real work conditions. The study found that dermal exposure, particularly hand contamination, was the dominant route, with median overall body contamination of 5,256 µg per shift and hand contamination accounting for over 80% of total exposure. Spraying generally resulted in higher exposure than mixing/loading, except for hands, which were highly exposed during both phases. Determinants of increased exposure included the number of mixing-spraying cycles and absence of personal protective equipment (PPE), while respiratory exposure was minimal. The exposure levels for the most exposed workers approached those observed in agricultural settings, underscoring the need for reinforced preventive measures and hygiene practices among greenspace workers using knapsack sprayers.