In 2013, the Inserm expert panel highlighted the link between pesticides and several health conditions among individuals occupationally exposed to these substances, particularly cancers, neurological diseases, and reproductive disorders. These conditions tend to develop some time after exposure. Establishing links between the handling of these pesticides and potential chronic diseases requires reliable tools and methodologies for a retrospective assessment of exposures. To accurately identify the numerous pesticides and the chronological evolution of their use, the Matphyto program, led by Santé publique France, is developing "crop-exposure matrices" for plant protection products, broken down by chemical families and specific active ingredients.

Each matrix lists, for the various crops concerned, all pesticides likely to have been used, accompanied by three exposure indices: a probability of use by a professional at a given time, a frequency of application on a given plot, and an intensity corresponding to the average dose used.

One application of these matrices is the ability to calculate exposure prevalence among agricultural workers and break it down by region, gender, and time period, enabling the implementation of targeted prevention measures.

Learn more about the latest work from Santé publique France:

• Bénézet L, Geoffroy-Perez B, Spinosi J, El Yamani M. Assessment of the feasibility of using crop-exposure matrices to estimate exposure to plant protection products in a cohort of agricultural workers

• Spinosi J, Févotte J. The MATPHYTO Program: Crop-Exposure Matrices for Plant Protection Products

• The Matphyto Program: Crop-Exposure Matrices for Plant Protection Products - Example of Crop-Exposure Matrices for Arsenic-Based Pesticides