We are pleased to announce that a new peer-reviewed article, “Relationship between dietary pesticide intake and urinary pesticide metabolites”  (Wieland et al., 2025) has just been published. 

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This study explores how pesticide residues in our diet translate into measurable urinary biomarkers, highlighting the dietary pathway as a key route of exposure in the general population.

Key points:

  • The authors estimate dietary uptake of pesticide residues using food commodity residue data and account for processing effects (e.g., peeling). 
  • Their findings underscore the relevance of diet-borne pesticide exposure. A core theme within the SPRINT project’s efforts to assess and characterise human exposure to pesticides.
  • The study adds value to our work on exposure pathways, biomonitoring and risk assessment by providing up-to-date empirical data.

 Read the full article here

We’re in the news!
SPRINT’s research on non-dietary pesticide exposure has been featured in The Guardian (24 October 2025) under the headline: “‘I was contaminated’: Study reveals how hard it is to avoid pesticide exposure.”

This international media coverage highlights the importance of our work measuring real-world pesticide exposure beyond diet, and the growing public interest in understanding how these substances move through our environment.

What the article is about
The Guardian story draws on the new peer-reviewed study carried out within the SPRINT project, which used silicone wristbands to measure people’s exposure to pesticides in daily life. Over 600 participants in 10 European countries wore the wristbands for a week. Analysis detected residues from almost 200 different pesticides, including some long-banned compounds, showing how widely these substances persist in our surroundings.

Why this matters
The results show that pesticide exposure is not limited to farmers or people living near treated fields. Even individuals in urban or non-farming areas carried traces of multiple substances, highlighting how hard it can be to avoid contact through air, dust, or surfaces.

For SPRINT, this reinforces our mission to develop a Global Health Risk Assessment Toolbox that better captures these complex, real-world exposures.

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Read more:

📰 Read the Guardian article, by Ajit Niranjan

📄 Read the peer-reviewed study in Environment International

📘 SPRINT factsheet on pesticide exposure

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Recent research from SPRINT provides important new evidence on an overlooked source of pesticides for humans: our daily surroundings.

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

The factsheet is based on the paper Non-dietary personal pesticide exposure using silicone wristbands across 10 European countries by Figueiredo et al. which was recently published in the journal Environment International.

The study quantifies personal non-dietary exposure to pesticides with wristbands that absorb compounds from the wearer's environment. 

  • It shows that farmers and rural inhabitants are most exposed to non-dietary sources of pesticides.
  • However, people who live far from farms are also affected.
  • Individuals can reduce their exposure by regularly cleaning their homes, the results show.
  • The study also indicates that policymakers need to consider new ways of reducing the spread of pesticides from farmland.

Read the factsheet

 

The Psychology of Gender and Sexuality              

The SPRINT website has been updated: our Gender section has moved and is now available under the Resources tab.


You can find it here: Gender 

 

This dedicated section brings together materials, guidelines, and project outputs highlighting how SPRINT integrates gender dimensions across its work. You will find:

  • Key EU and project-level guidelines on gender equality in research and innovation
  • Practical tools supporting gender-sensitive approaches in science and stakeholder engagement
  • Reports and resources showing how SPRINT addresses gender aspects in its research design and communication