Table 10.
Transfer coefficients (TCs, in cm²/h) (modified from EUROPOEM II (Van Hemmen et al., 2002) considering US EPA, 2012, 2017; for both outdoor and indoor scenarios)
| Crop groups | Nature of task | Main body parts in contact with foliage | TC, total potential exposure | TC assuming arms, body and legs covered (workwear; bare hands) | TC, covered body (workwear) and gloves (PPE) | TC, potential body exposure and gloves (PPE) | Applicable for the following crops |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Field crops | Hand harvesting | Hand and body | n.a. | 23,000 | n.a. | n.a. | Sweet corn |
| Low/High vegetables | Reach/pick | Hand and body | 5,800 | 2,500 | 580 | n.a. | Fruiting/bulb/legume/leaf vegetables and fresh herbs |
| Low vegetables | Harvest/maintenance | Hand and body | n.a. | 5,000 | n.a. | n.a. | Brassica vegetables |
| Low vegetables (root and tuber) | Bolting beet removal | Hand and body | 18,600 | 4,400 (4,500 for long trousers and T‐shirt) | 430 (530 for long trousers, T‐shirt and gloves) | 14,300( a ) | (Sugar) beets, seed potato |
| Orchards | Maintenance/thinning | Hand and body | 22,500 | 4,500 | 2,250 | n.a. | Citrus/cane/oil/pome/stone fruits, tree nuts, berries (high crops)( b ) |
| Search/reach/pick | Hand and body | 12,500 | 3,500 | 1,250 | n.a. | (same) | |
| Viticulture( c ) | Harvesting and other activities (e.g. leaf pulling and tying) | Hand and body | 30,000 | 10,100 | No justified proposal (data missing) | n.a. | Grapes, hops( d ), and Kiwifruit |
| Low berries | Reach/pick | Hand and forearm | 5,800( e ) | 3,000 | 750 | n.a. | Berries and other small fruit, low( f ) |
| Ornamentals (low/high) | Cut/sort/bundle/carry | Hand and body | 14,000 | 5,000 | 1,400 | n.a. | Ornamentals and nursery |
| Amenity grassland | Turf harvesting, cutting and handling | Hand and body | n.a. | 8,800 | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. |
| All crops | Inspection, irrigation | Hand and body |
12,500( g ) 7,500( h ) |
1,400( g ) | 1,250 | n.a. | Including agricultural grassland, not bare land |
n.a.: not available.
Dermal exposure was measured considering different levels of protection by clothing and protective equipment (i.e. gloves). The combinations of different dosimeters were used to estimate the dermal exposure for different levels of skin protection (T‐shirt, shorts and gloves: 14,300 cm²/h).
Strawberries and other berries that are cultivated at multiple heights indoor are considered high crops.
US EPA data were used even if the underlying data are not available as it is clear that grape harvesting might be a scenario of concern for which EU data are missing. As for inspection activities, the US EPA values are considered to be appropriate, in the absence of supporting data, when compared with the exposure values for other tasks.
TCs from grapes are proposed as surrogate for hops. Relevant tasks are for example training/tying or inserting the hop bines into the picking machine after harvest.
No reliable data for this scenario are available; therefore, the TC of vegetable potential exposure is proposed as surrogate.
Strawberries cultivated outdoor are considered low crops
US Re‐entry Agricultural TF data were used, recalculated by Health and Safety Executive to account for 75th percentile instead of arithmetic mean (see technical report comment 211; EFSA, 2014b).
US Re‐entry Agricultural TF data were used; the value proposed is the arithmetic mean of the 75th percentiles from the two studies considered, lower legs and arms uncovered (see technical report comment 211; EFSA, 2014b).