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. 

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

Alcalá C.S et al. Association of pesticide exposure with respiratory health outcomes and rhinitis in avocado farmworkers from Michoacán, Mexico. Sci Total Environ. 2024;945:173855. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173855

Davies E, Stamm C, Fuhrimann S, Chow R. Mixed pesticide sources identified by using wastewater tracers in rivers of South African agricultural catchments. Sci Total Environ. 2024(956):177206. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.177206

Fuhrimann S et al. Occupational exposure to pesticides and neurobehavioral outcomes. Impact of different original and recalled exposure measures on the associations. Ann Work Expo Health. 2024;68(6):657-664. DOI: 10.1093/annweh/wxae025

Galea K.S et al. How can exposure assessment for pesticides in epidemiological studies be improved? Insights from the IMPRESS project. Environ Int. 2024;192:109013. DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2024.109013

Rodríguez-Zamora M.G et al. Respiratory and allergic outcomes among farmworkers exposed to pesticides in Costa Rica. Sci Total Environ. 2024;954:176776. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176776

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

Sonephet S et al. Social Transfers for Exclusive Breastfeeding (STEB) Intervention in Lao People's Democratic Republic: protocol for a randomized controlled trial. JMIR Res Protoc. 2024;13:e54768. DOI: 10.2196/54768

Ssekkadde P et al. Evaluating and enhancing an educational intervention to reduce smallholder farmers' exposure to pesticides in Uganda through a digital, systematic approach to behavior change: protocol for a cluster-randomized controlled trial. JMIR Res Protoc. 2024;13:e55238. DOI: 10.2196/55238

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