New SPRINT publication

Non-dietary personal pesticide exposure using silicone wristbands across 10 European countries A new article by Daniel Figueiredo and colleagues, published in Environment International, presents results from the SPRINT project on non-dietary pesticide exposure.  The study involved 641 participants across 10 European countries, who wore silicone wristbands for one week to passively monitor exposure. The wristbands detected 193 different pesticides, including both current-use and legacy compounds, highlighting the widespread and complex nature of pesticide exposure in Europe.

Key Findings

• Silicone wristbands are a powerful and non-invasive tool to assess non-dietary pesticide exposure.
• Participants were exposed to a broad mixture of pesticides, reflecting multiple environmental sources.
• Results demonstrate that non-dietary routes, such as air and skin contact, contribute significantly to overall pesticide exposure and should be considered in risk assessments.

Read the Full Article here

Occurrence of pesticide residues in harvested products - new research summary

Recent research from SPRINT compared compared pesticide residues on crops from organic farms with crops from conventional farms.

You can now read an accessible, quick-to-read summary of this study in a new factsheet.

The factsheet is based on the research paper Occurrence of pesticide residues inharvested products of various crops from European conventional and organic farming systems, by Torinho et al, which was recently published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials.

It provides precise data on differences between organically- and conventionally-produced crops grown across 10 European countries. Its evidence further supports the case that regulators should consider mixtures when assessing pesticides’ risks.

Highlights include:

• Comparisons of residue concentrations 

• Comparisons of residue mixtures

• Data on presence of banned substances

• Data to indicate cross-contamination of organic crops with pesticides from conventional farms

View the factsheet here.

New SPRINT publications

We’re pleased to share three new peer-reviewed publications from SPRINT researchers, offering key insights into pesticide occurrence, prioritization, and risk assessment across European agricultural systems.

		🔹 1. Prioritizing pesticides in soil for mixture toxicity assessment Jegede et al. (2025) identified the most relevant currently used pesticides in soils across major European cropping systems (and one Argentinian system), providing a foundation for assessing mixture toxicity to soil organisms. 📄 Read more
		🔹 2. Comparing pesticide residues in organic and conventional crops Tourinho et al. (2025) examined harvested products from various crops and found clear differences in pesticide residues between conventional and organic farming systems in Europe. 📄 Read more
		🔹 3. New tools for assessing soil microbial impacts Stache et al. (2025) explored the potential of quantifying microbial functional genes as a sensitive and innovative approach for pesticide risk assessment in soils. 📄 Read more

These studies contribute to SPRINT’s overarching goal: improving understanding of pesticide exposure and impacts to support more sustainable agricultural practices across Europe.