P-513 the Use of Pesticide in Non-Agricultural Settings: Can We Measure the Impact on the Environment, Workers and Community Health?

Introduction The use of pesticides plays an important role in agricultural-production. However, pesticides are also used in non-agricultural settings, where they can impact on occupational and community health. This study aims to explore the use of herbicides in non-agricultural settings, starting from the railways sector, by outlining in particular the role of regulatory and technical approach related to a sustainable use of pesticides in the EU. Materials and methods The study concerned the analysis of EU-legislation on pesticides (Directive 2009/128/EC) and its implementation in Italy, as well as the analysis of herbicides distributed in Italy along the time and, among these, those specifically authorized for non-agricultural use. For this analysis, we used the ISTAT and the Italian Ministry of Health databases. Results The preliminary analysis of herbicides sales trend showed an overall decrease over the last years, probably due to the 2009 regulatory package for the sustainable use of pesticides; nevertheless no specific data on non-agricultural use are extractable. The analysis of chemical classes of herbicides revealed that in Italy those allowed for railways essentially derive from research developed in the agricultural sector, thus potentially implying similar aspects of health and safety for workers, the environment and surrounding communities. Conclusions The lack of specific data on non-agricultural herbicides, resulting from their non-exclusive authorization, makes it very difficult to quantify their use. The results show the need to improve the information flow on sales and use it to fill this gap for a complete picture of the potential impact of herbicides on workers and the population.