Applicator exposure using a traditional spray gun and the Fumicar in greenhouses: a comparative study

South European horticulture is still confronted with some problems in the field of greenhouse spraying applications. One of them is the operator’s safety because of the high operator exposure and the lack of protective clothing and equipment. The main objective of this study was to compare operator exposure for two different application methods: the traditional spray gun and the Fumicar.
There was a clear difference in total body contamination between both techniques. The Fumicar resulted in a 6.8 times lower total exposure compared with the spray gun walking forwards. Besides a difference in total exposure between both techniques, there was also an important difference in exposure between the various parts of the body. The operator exposure reduction using the Fumicar is the highest for the feet and the lower legs, followed by the arms and upper legs. For other parts of the body like the back, chest, head and hands, no reduction was found. All of this is important in connection with operator safety and for the parts of the body that need to be protected best when using a specific spray application technique.