MISSION AND ACTIVITIES

The internship will take place in the UMR ECOSYS Functional ecology and ecotoxicology of agroecosystems, INRAE- AgroParisTech-Université Paris-Saclay on Campus Agro Paris-Saclay (Palaiseau) https://eng-ecosys.versailles-saclay.hub.inrae.fr/ in collaboration with the UMR MIA Applied Mathematics and Informatics, INRAE-AgroParisTech-Université Paris- Saclay on Campus Agro Paris-Saclay (Palaiseau) https://mia-ps.inrae.fr/

• Subject : Development of an exposition model to pesticides by inhalation

Contexte and aims : The use of pesticides results in contamination of all environmental compartments (Charbonnier et al., 2015; Mamy et al., 2022). In France, contamination of the atmospheric compartment has recently been accompanied by a health dimension, as illustrated by (1) an ANSES study (Hulin et al, 2021), which resulted in the National Exploratory Campaign on Pesticides in Ambient Air (CNEP) conducted in 2018/2019 in France including the French overseas departments and territories (Anses, 2020; LCSQA, 2020) and the recent decision to  long-term monitoring of pesticides in the atmosphere (“Communiqué de presse” of 19/07/21); (2) the PestiRiv SpF/Anses campaign, which aims to assess the potential overexposure of local residents in vineyard areas; and (3) the decree on safety distances (December 2019).

As for the health effects of the pesticides to which people are exposed, the INSERM report (2021) suggested links between agricultural activity, particularly in vineyard areas, and various impacts on the health of local residents: Parkinson's disease in people living near areas where pesticides are sprayed; behaviour suggestive of autism spectrum disorders in children. However, the level of presumption remains low due to the limitations of the studies in terms of exposure assessment and the lack of individual data. Chronic toxicity data is currently lacking to better assess the risks of impact, not only for each molecule applied but also for any degradation products, not to mention the effects of mixtures of substances to which we are exposed - the ‘cocktail’ effect.
One of the major current challenges is to analyse the contribution to the overall impregnation of individuals of the various pathways of exposure to pesticides, i.e. inhalation vs. skin contact vs. ingestion. Modules of exposure by inhalation are still few.

The aim of this internship is to study the exposure of populations through the inhalation of pesticides present in the gaseous phase in the atmosphere. An initial module on exposure by inhalation and skin deposition, developed for exposure to spray droplets during application, will be extended to include exposure to the gaseous phase resulting from pesticide volatilisation. Next, an analysis of the model will be carried out (sensitivity tests, uncertainty analysis, based on previous work from Massiot et al. (2022)). Finally, the results should be put into perspective in relation to current knowledge concerning other exposure pathways. This internship is part of the ESPRI project (Health effects of phytopharmaceutical products related to inhalation exposure) funded by the INRAE SYALSA metaprogramme (https://syalsa.hub.inrae.fr/).

• More specifically, the work programme is as follows:
  1. to carry out an in-depth bibliographical analysis of the available studies on the exposure of populations to pesticides by inhalation
  2. to learn how to use the tools for predicting levels of concentration in the air in relation to the pesticide volatilisation, the exposure module already developed and the appropriate analysis methods.
  3. to contribute to the implementation of gaseous exposure in the inhalation exposure model and carry out a model analysis
  4. to compare the results obtained with other exposure routes (by inhalation to spray droplets in particular).

• Specific conditions of activity: This internship is co-supervised by two neighbouring INRAE units: ECOSYS and MIA on the AgroParisTech Saclay campus. Regular exchanges between the two teams will be organised.

THE PROFILE WE ARE LOOKING FOR

• Recommended training: Master's degree/engineering diploma in environmental sciences with knowledge of modelling
• Skills required: environment, modelling tools, R language
• Other: Autonomy and initiative; Organisational skills and ability to work as part of a team; Good level of English (essential) and good writing skills

References

Anses (2020). https://www.anses.fr/fr/system/files/AIR2020SA0030Ra_0.pdf

Charbonnier E., et al. , 2015. Pesticides, des impacts aux changements de pratiques. Editions Quae. 400 p

Benoit P., Mamy L., Servien R., Li Z., Latrille E., Rossard V., Bessac F., Patureau D., Martin-Laurent F. 2017. STOTEN, 574, 781-795. Hulin, M., … Quivet, E., … B., Bedos, C., 2021. Monitoring of pesticides in ambient air: Prioritization of substances. Science of The Total

Environment 753, 141722. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.14172

Inserm, 2021. Pesticides et effets sur la santé : Nouvelles données. (EDP Sciences), Collection Expertise collective. INSERM, Montrouge. LCSQA (2020). https://www.lcsqa.org/system/files/media/documents/LCSQA2020_Evaluation_prevair_drom_%20cara.pdf

Mamy, L., Pesce, S., Sanchez, W., ….. Leenhardt, S., 2022. Impacts des produits phytopharmaceutiques sur la biodiversité et les services écosystémiques. Rapport de l’expertise scientifique collective (Research Report). INRAE ; IFREMER. https://doi.org/10.17180/0gp2-cd65

Massiot, G., Courault, D., Jacob, P., Albert, I., 2023. Monitoring the risk of Legionella infection using a general Bayesian network updated from temporal measurements in agricultural irrigation with reclaimed wastewater. Environ. Sci.: Water Res. Technol. 9, 176–192. https://doi.org/10.1039/D2EW00311B