Pesticide exposure from agricultural activities in Latvian rural and suburban area inhabitants

Exposure to pesticides occurs via several pathways, some can be minimised by altering individual actions or habits (food choices, hygiene habits) while others require a systemic approach (legislation on pesticide usage, buffer zones, etc.). This study aims to identify the pesticide exposure linked to agricultural activities and the main focus is to determine the influence of agriculture land proximity and acreage on the results of identified pesticides in the urine samples. In 2020, 2 urine samples per person from children (n=101) and their parents (n=101) were gathered, resulting in 402 urine samples. A suspect screening approach using full scan High Resolution Mass Spectrometry was done to determine the
presence of pesticide mixtures in the study samples. A total of 29 pesticides and their metabolites were found, the most common ones not allowed for national usage. Further analysis was carried out for the most commonly grown crops in Latvia (winter wheat and winter rapeseed) and the information on nationally allowed pesticides for crop treatment, linking this analysis to urine sample results. Our results provide information for policy makers to help develop a more specific and tailored national human biomonitoring system.