Pesticides Research Nr. 110 2007 – Health effects of predatory beneficial mites and wasps in greenhouses

Health effects of predatory beneficial mites and wasps in greenhouses

Preface

The present report is the final report for the study, started in December 2003 based on material from a 3-year follow-up study of greenhouse workers carried out in the period 1997-2001 based on grants from the Danish Environment Protection Agency’s Pesticide Fund and the Danish Environmental Research Program. The present study has been carried out based on grant no. 7041-0244 and from the Danish Environmental Protection Agency’s Pesticide Research Fund.

The aim of the present study is the health effects of exposure to beneficial arthropods in the form of parasitoids and mites. In the study the individual exposure to the arthropods has been assessed and methods to measure the specific IgE antibodies and in vivo test of the allergic response against the animals have been developed.

Annie Enkegaard, Senior Scientist, M.Sc., Ph.D, Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Flakkebjerg, Denmark has authored the chapter on biology of predators. Per Stahl Skov, Research director, M.D., Dr. Med. Sc., RefLab A/S, Copenhagen has planned and carried out analysis of histamine release. Gert Doekes, Associate professor, M.Sc., Ph.D, Institute of Risk Assessment Sciences, University of Utrecht, the Netherlands has made extracts for the testing of IgE and HR as well as the analyses of specific IgE. Research Assistant M. Sc., Mia Birkhøj Kjærstad, has made the exposure assessments, Professor M.D., Ph.D. Torben Sigsgaard, Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine, Institute of Public Health; Aarhus University has helped with planning of the study and revision of the report.

Besides the authors a large group of persons have contributed to the project: Preben Larsen, M.D., Ph.D-student, Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Odense University Hospital was the main researcher on BIOGART study, the basis of the present study. Laboratory assistant Kirsten Østergaard, Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine, Institute of Public Health, Aarhus University has made preparation and weighing of filters and assisted in collecting airborne samples of the predators. Research Secretary, Rikke Lørup Larsen and Research Assistant Heidi Pöckel Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Odense University Hospital have helped with the administration and writing of the report. Professor, Ph.D Michael Væth, Institute of Public Health, Aarhus University has given advise about the statistical analyses.

We thank the workers and employers at the participating greenhouse firms for their help in the different phases of the project.

On behalf of the project group

Jesper Bælum

Project Manager

Odense, February 2007