Hygienic assessment of working conditions during seed treatment using various equipment

Introduction. Seed treatment with pesticides is one of the most important technological operations in the cultivation of agricultural crops. The main components of high-quality seed treatment are the uniform distribution of pesticides and the preservation of seed viability, both of which largely depend on the technical equipment and application methods used. In the Russian Federation, four main types of seed treatment machines are currently employed: drum, auger, chamber, and rotary. This paper presents the results of hygienic studies assessing occupational risk for operators working with different seed treatment machines using insecticidal preparations based on thiamethoxam, a neonicotinoid-class compound. Neonicotinoids are synthetically produced derivatives of the alkaloid nicotine. Provided, that safety regulations and operational guidelines are followed, the risk of pesticide exposure for operators remains within hygienic standards across all treatment technologies.

The purpose of this study. To perform a hygienic assessment of working conditions and the risk of exposure to thiamethoxam-based insecticides during pre-sowing seed treatment using various seed treating machines and sowing of treated seeds.

Materials and methods. The study included monitoring of air quality and dermal exposure among operators and assistants working with PS-10, PS-20, PETKUS, RH-800, and SATEC machines. During the sowing of treated seeds with using agricultural machinery working conditions were also examined.

Results. Under compliance with regulations and the use of personal protective equipment, the level of exposure was demonstrated to not exceed permissible limits. However, during sowing, exposure levels for seeders may significantly exceed those observed in operators of seed treatment machines.

Limitations. Given the numerous factors influencing the formation of thiamethoxam exposure levels, extrapolation of the obtained data is only possible when using thiamethoxam-based formulations employing similar technologies.

Conclusion. During both seed treatment and sowing, regardless of the treatment method used, adherence to safety protocols, pesticide application guidelines, and proper machine maintenance ensures the risk of exposure to the studied pesticides to remain within acceptable limits.

Compliance with ethical standards. The study does not require a biomedical ethics committee opinion.

Contribution:
Rakitskii V.N. – scientific guidance;
Bereznyak I.V. – concept and design of research, material collection and data processing, analysis and interpretation of results, statistical processing, text writing;
Antipova V.I. – concept and design of research, collection of material, data processing and visualization, analysis and interpretation of results, text writing;
Veshchemova T.E. – literature data collection, data processing, text writing.
All authors are responsible for the integrity of all parts of the manuscript and approval of the manuscript final version.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Funding. The study was carried out within the framework of the Rospotrebnadzor industry program “Scientific substantiation of the national system for ensuring sanitary and epidemiological well-being, health risk management and improving the quality of life of the Russian population” (2021–2025).

Received: May 27, 2025 / Revised: June 4, 2025 / Accepted: June 26, 2025 / Published: October 20, 2025

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