scholarly journals Potential surrogate plants for use in semi-field pesticide risk assessment with Megachile rotundata

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e6278
Author(s):  
Andrew J. Frewin ◽  
Angela E. Gradish ◽  
Graham R. Ansell ◽  
Cynthia D. Scott-Dupree
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Release Rate ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Field Testing ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Solitary Bees ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Foraging Activity ◽  
Megachile Rotundata ◽  
Release Rates

Background Current regulatory pesticide risk assessments for bees are based primarily on the honey bee (Apis mellifera) and may not always be protective of solitary bees. To incorporate solitary bees into the risk assessment process, standardized methods to assess the hazard of pesticides under semi-field (Tier II) conditions will be needed. We conducted a series of experiments over 2 years to assess potential surrogate plants and adult release rates for use in semi-field experiments with the alfalfa leafcutting bee (ALB, Megachile rotundata). Methods We compared ALB foraging activity and reproduction on 12 m2 plots of flowering alfalfa (Medicago sativa) and buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) at low (10♀/20♂) and high (20♀/40♂) adult release rates. The following year, we assessed the same endpoints on plots of purple tansy (Phacelia tanacetifolia) at a release rate of 10♀/15♂. Results Although ALB foraging activity was high on buckwheat plots, fewer adults were produced compared to alfalfa plots. On alfalfa, there were no differences in foraging activity, nesting, or reproduction between the low and high release rates. ALB readily foraged from purple tansy flowers, but females avoided purple tansy leaves for leaf cell construction. Discussion Our study suggests that buckwheat alone cannot support ALB during semi-field studies on small plots. For alfalfa, we recommend a maximum release rate of 10♀/20♂ in 12 m2 plots. Further study of higher ALB release rates on purple tansy is warranted. A mixed planting of purple tansy and a plant suitable for leaf piece collection (e.g., buckwheat) may provide favorable conditions for ALB activity and reproduction during semi-field testing.

scholarly journals Contact toxicity of three insecticides for use in tier I pesticide risk assessments with Megachile rotundata (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae)

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e10744
Author(s):  
Graham R. Ansell ◽  
Andrew J. Frewin ◽  
Angela E. Gradish ◽  
Cynthia D. Scott-Dupree
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Solitary Bees ◽  
Risk Assessments ◽  
Contact Toxicity ◽  
Megachile Rotundata ◽  
Surrogate Species ◽  
Pesticide Risk Assessment ◽  
Assessment Tests ◽  
Tier I

The current pesticide risk assessment paradigm may not adequately protect solitary bees as it focuses primarily on the honey bee (Apis mellifera). The alfalfa leafcutting bee (Megachile rotundata) is a potential surrogate species for use in pesticide risk assessment for solitary bees in North America. However, the toxicity of potential toxic reference standards to M. rotundata will need to be determined before pesticide risk assessment tests (tier I trials) can be implemented. Therefore, we assessed the acute topical toxicity and generated LD50 values for three insecticides: dimethoate (62.08 ng a.i./bee), permethrin (50.01 ng a.i./bee), and imidacloprid (12.82 ng a.i/bee). The variation in the mass of individual bees had a significant but small effect on these toxicity estimates. Overall, the toxicity of these insecticides to M. rotundata were within the 10-fold safety factor currently used with A. mellifera toxicity estimates from tier I trials to estimate risk to other bee species. Therefore, tier I pesticide risk assessments with solitary bees may not be necessary, and efforts could be directed to developing more realistic, higher-tier pesticide risk assessment trials for solitary bees.

scholarly journals A Methodology for Harmonizing Safety and Health Scales in Occupational Risk Assessment

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 4849
Author(s):  
Zuzhen Ji ◽  
Dirk Pons ◽  
John Pearse
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Public Health Perspective ◽  
Chronic Health ◽  
Risk Assessment Method

Successful implementation of Health and Safety (H&S) systems requires an effective mechanism to assess risk. Existing methods focus primarily on measuring the safety aspect; the risk of an accident is determined based on the product of severity of consequence and likelihood of the incident arising. The health component, i.e., chronic harm, is more difficult to assess. Partially, this is due to both consequences and the likelihood of health issues, which may be indeterminate. There is a need to develop a quantitative risk measurement for H&S risk management and with better representation for chronic health issues. The present paper has approached this from a different direction, by adopting a public health perspective of quality of life. We have then changed the risk assessment process to accommodate this. This was then applied to a case study. The case study showed that merely including the chronic harm scales appeared to be sufficient to elicit a more detailed consideration of hazards for chronic harm. This suggests that people are not insensitive to chronic harm hazards, but benefit from having a framework in which to communicate them. A method has been devised to harmonize safety and harm risk assessments. The result was a comprehensive risk assessment method with consideration of safety accidents and chronic health issues. This has the potential to benefit industry by making chronic harm more visible and hence more preventable.

Dynamics and risk assessment of pesticides in cucumber through field experiments and model simulation

2021 ◽  
Vol 773 ◽  
pp. 145615
Author(s):  
Xiaoxiao Feng ◽  
Lixiang Pan ◽  
Jing Jing ◽  
Jingcheng Zhang ◽  
Ming Zhuang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Model Simulation

scholarly journals Evaluating the Impact of Two Generalist Predators on the Leafhopper Erasmoneura vulnerata Population Density

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 321
Author(s):  
Stefan Cristian Prazaru ◽  
Giulia Zanettin ◽  
Alberto Pozzebon ◽  
Paola Tirello ◽  
Francesco Toffoletto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiments ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Generalist Predators ◽  
Predator Species ◽  
Potted Plants ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Orius Majusculus ◽  
Limited Effectiveness ◽  
Pest Outbreaks ◽  
The Impact

Outbreaks of the Nearctic leafhopper Erasmoneura vulnerata represent a threat to vinegrowers in Southern Europe, in particular in North-eastern Italy. The pest outbreaks are frequent in organic vineyards because insecticides labeled for organic viticulture show limited effectiveness towards leafhoppers. On the other hand, the naturally occurring predators and parasitoids of E. vulnerata in vineyards are often not able to keep leafhopper densities at acceptable levels for vine-growers. In this study, we evaluated the potential of two generalist, commercially available predators, Chrysoperla carnea and Orius majusculus, in suppressing E. vulnerata. Laboratory and semi-field experiments were carried out to evaluate both species’ predation capacity on E. vulnerata nymphs. The experiments were conducted on grapevine leaves inside Petri dishes (laboratory) and on potted and caged grapevines (semi-field); in both experiments, the leaves or potted plants were infested with E. vulnerata nymphs prior to predator releases. Both predator species exhibited a remarkable voracity and significantly reduced leafhopper densities in laboratory and semi-field experiments. Therefore, field studies were carried out over two growing seasons in two vineyards. We released 4 O. majusculus adults and 30 C. carnea larvae per m2 of canopy. Predator releases in vineyards reduced leafhopper densities by about 30% compared to the control plots. Results obtained in this study showed that the two predators have a potential to suppress the pest density, but more research is required to define appropriate predator–prey release ratios and release timing. Studies on intraguild interactions and competition with naturally occurring predators are also suggested.

scholarly journals A comparative risk assessment of dialysis care processes in the home and hospital care contexts

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 985-1002
Author(s):  
Peter Chemweno ◽  
Liliane Pintelon
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Home Care ◽  
Domain Knowledge ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Hospital Environment ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Comparative Risk Assessment ◽  
Care Givers ◽  
Comparative Risk

Abstract Dialysis processes within the home care context is associated with risk factors which are not very prominent in the hospital context. This includes risk factors such as unanticipated device malfunction, or erroneous operation of the equipment, which exposes the patient to injury while undergoing dialysis. Importantly, the mentioned risk factors are further attributed to technical aspects such as sub-optimal equipment maintenance or following improper clinical procedures when administering care to the patient. Hence, it is important to follow a methodological approach to identify and assess hazards embedded within the dialysis treatment process, and on this basis, formulate effective strategies to mitigate their negative consequences on patient safety. This paper presents a comparative risk assessment for in-hospital versus in-home dialysis care. For the two cases, the risk assessment considers expertise of care givers involved in administering dialysis. The findings show that performing risk assessment for hospital environment, is more structured owing to expertise of clinicians and care givers responsible for administering dialysis. However, assessing risks for the home-care environment is more challenging owing to absence of domain knowledge, hence a survey approach to structure the risk assessment process is necessary. Moreover, risks in the home care context is influenced by logistical aspects, and lack of domain knowledge for maintaining dialysis equipment. Overall, insights from the comparative studies yields important learning points expected to improve dialysis care as more healthcare providers transfer care to the home environment.

Comparison of Human Health and Safety Loss due to Corroded Gas Pipeline Failure in Rural and Urban Areas: A Case Study in Malaysia

2015 ◽  
Vol 227 ◽  
pp. 221-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norhamimi Mohd Hanafiah ◽  
Libriati Zardasti ◽  
Yahaya Nordin ◽  
Norhazilan Md Noor ◽  
Ahmad A. Safuan
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Quantitative Risk Assessment ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Consequence Assessment ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Pipeline Failure

Consequence assessment is an integral part of the risk assessment process. There are many types of consequences loss due to pipeline failure such as asset loss, environmental loss, production loss, and human health and safety loss (HHSL). This paper studies the comparison of HHSL between rural and urban areas due to pipeline failure subject to corrosion. The damage area of the explosion was calculated using Aloha software by considering the details of the selected sites such as atmospheric and topographical conditions. The HHSL was calculated using a mathematical equation of quantitative risk assessment in terms of the number of fatalities or injuries or both. The results of the assessments from rural and urban areas were then compared with one another to identify any significant dissimilarity. This study shows that there was a possibility to improve the decisive value of risk by implementing the proposed approach in consequence assessment in Malaysia.

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