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AIMS There is currently no centralised database on workers’ exposures to plant protection products (PPPs) in Switzerland, nor a national register for negative health effects linking them to occupational PPP exposure. This lack of basic data makes it difficult to implement either epidemiological research or prevention campaigns for the agricultural sector. The first objective was to understand the level of information and flow of data on occupational PPP exposures and health effects in the Canton of Vaud, Switzerland. Then, to apply this information to develop recommendations for improving a vigilance system for occupational health effects related to PPP exposure. METHODS A mapping study and semistructured stakeholder interviews were conducted to better understand the flow of data on occupational PPP exposures and health effects. A clinical records investigation of workers occupationally exposed to PPPs was undertaken to understand the magnitude of this potential problem. Finally, a workshop brought together relevant stakeholders to discuss recommendations for the way forwards. RESULTS A lack of data on PPP exposures and associated health effects was revealed. This highlighted important knowledge gaps at different levels of the current institutional information flow system. We found that although there were numerous stakeholders that worked efficiently in their own mandate, there was a clear need for increased collaboration and coordination in order to make use of existing data to promote safer PPP use among agricultural workers in Switzerland. CONCLUSIONS Due to increasing evidence of an association between PPP exposure and health effects, increased collaboration between stakeholders is necessary to develop links between the data sources that already exist. Our study was the first to investigate the health effects linked to PPP exposure among the Swiss agricultural population. The recommendations presented in this paper would help promote a safer and healthier agricultural workforce in Switzerland, as well as the population at large.

More than six million premature deaths annually can be attributed to air pollution. Air pollution is ranked as a class 1 carcinogen and a driver of lung cancer. Typical air pollutants are particulate matter (PM) ranging up to 10 µm aerodynamic diameter, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), as well as some gases, and aerosols. Possible genotoxicity in the human population from exposures to these carcinogens can be measured in blood with the comet assay and micronucleus test. We aimed to assess the genotoxicity effects of air pollution retrospectively using historical data and prospectively by recruiting volunteers in a human biomonitoring study. Our study (N>120) showed that four air pollution clusters did not affect the cancer-predictive biomarkers of genomic damage In a prospective part of the study, we recruited the volunteers (N=60) and collected the samples twice; once in the cold season and a second time during the warm season. The air pollution data were in agreement with the regulatory limits, except for some occasional measurements collected in the colder period of the year where PM10 particles and benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), a known PAH carcinogen, exceeded the regulatory limit value. The genotoxicity effects were, however, more pronounced during the warmer period of the year. This might reflect higher exposure to UV radiation - a known genotoxic physical agent. Given the transboundary nature of air pollution, further research is warranted to gain a better insight into air pollution-driven health effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]