SPRINT Project
SPRINT is a 5-year (2020-2025) European research project that assessed the impacts of pesticides on the environment and human health. Its aim was to accelerate the transition towards more sustainable plant protection. In total, 29 institutions participated in the SPRINT project, including FAO.
The main research topics of the SPRINT project were to:
- monitor pesticide concentrations in humans, animals and different parts of the environment;
- assess effects of pesticide mixtures on humans, animals and ecosystems;
- develop a health risk assessment toolbox;
- evaluate different pesticide exposure pathways of humans and the environment;
- conduct cost-benefit analyses of pesticide use in different farming scenarios;
- explore transition pathways towards more sustainable plant protection.
FAO’s main interest in the project was to see whether new insights and methods for pesticide risk assessment could be applied in pesticide registration in its member countries.
Some of the findings of the SPRINT project with global relevance are:
Extensive pesticide residues were found in indoor dust, not just on farms but also in neighbouring homes. In many cases, dust contained a higher variety of mixtures than the crops themselves.
⇒ This finding has implications for the way in which pesticide risk assessments for residents are being conducted.
Post-registration monitoring measured pesticide residues in the environment in numbers and levels which were not foreseen by pre-registration risk assessment. Therefore, it was strongly recommended to invest more resources in residue and effect monitoring after authorization of a pesticide. Methodologies for designing monitoring schemes and identifying relevant matrices (e.g., soil, water, indoor dust) were developed by the SPRINT Project. Instead of random sampling, predictive modelling was used to target limited resources for monitoring towards “pesticide contamination hotspots”.
⇒ FAO intends to develop a post-registration module in the Toolkit, partly based on approaches applied in the SPRINT project.
SPRINT findings highlight that pesticide residues are not stationary; they are transported over long distances via wind erosion of soil particles, contaminating areas far from the application site. A Wind Erosion Model was developed as part of the SPRINT Project.
⇒ Wind erosion will be taken into account in the Assessment Methods Module (Fate & Behaviour in Air) in the Toolkit.
SPRINT research identified that farmers often continue to use hazardous pesticides not because they want to, but due to "lock-ins" like supply chain requirements, debt, or lack of insurance for yield loss.
⇒ Lock-ins and barriers which can slow down the transition towards sustainable plant protection are further discussed in the Alternatives Assessment module in the Toolkit, in particular when comparing alternatives and identifying viable options.
Cost-benefit analyses of different pesticide use regimes (conventional, IPM, organic) were conducted, which included health and environmental costs. Pesticides make up the bulk of the impact of all farming types on human health and ecosystem quality, even on IPM and organic farms though to a lesser extent than on conventional farms.
⇒ In the Decision Making module in the Pesticide Registration Toolkit, cost-benefit assessment is considered an important aspect to decide whether or not to register a pesticide. However, practical methods for cost-benefit assessment of a pesticide at the pesticide registration stage are lacking. The results of the SPRINT Project will be exploited to identify cost-benefit analysis methods that can be used in pesticide registration.
Key findings of the SPRINT project are summarized in a special magazine and on the SPRINT web site
SPRINT results have been made easily accessible through fact sheets, report summaries and videos.
The SPRINT Toolbox shows the results of the project in a visual and interactive manner. It informs policy makers and regulators about strategies aimed at reducing pesticide use.
Access it here: https://sprint-toolbox.eirene.eu/
