Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39614643›Full record

ArticlePest management science2026

Pesticide exposure of operators during mixing and loading a drone: towards a stratified exposure assessment.

Edgars Felkers, Christian J Kuster, Georg Hamacher, Thomas Anft, Maxie Kohler

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Pest management science, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Edgars FelkersBayer AG, Crop Science Division, Monheim, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6036-4848
Christian J KusterBayer AG, Crop Science Division, Monheim, Germany.
Georg HamacherAGREXIS AG, Basel, Switzerland.
Thomas AnftBayer AG, Crop Science Division, Monheim, Germany.
Maxie KohlerBayer AG, Crop Science Division, Monheim, Germany.

Funding

Bayer
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThis study evaluated operator exposure during mixing and loading phases of drone-based pesticide application, specifically examining potential and actual exposure during handling of concentrated and diluted pesticide products. It aims to clarify the differences in exposure levels between these two scenarios with implications for exposure risk assessment.

resultsResults demonstrate that mixing concentrated products poses the primary exposure, while transferring diluted mixtures to the drone tank results in significantly lower exposure figures. Personal protective equipment (PPE) significantly mitigates potential exposure, particularly during mixing. Hand exposure contributes to 50-75% of total exposure.

conclusionThese data facilitate refined exposure and risk assessments by distinguishing between handling concentrated and diluted products, allowing a stratification of exposure for these scenarios and enabling the application of appropriate dermal absorption rates for each scenario. The results also confirm that one layer of work clothing and protective gloves significantly reduce the operator exposure, which highlights the importance of wearing adequate protective clothing and gloves by operators, especially during the mixing phase. These insights contribute to the development of novel science-based safety assessments and improved operator protection in drone-assisted pesticide application. © 2024 Bayer AG. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Indexed as

Occupational ExposurePesticidesUnmanned Aerial DevicesGloves, ProtectiveHumansProtective ClothingRisk AssessmentPesticidesdrone applicationmixing and loadingoperator exposureplant protection productsunmanned aerial spray systems

Identifiers

PMID39614643
PMCPMC13352291

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.