The different lifestyles, occupations and biology of men and women could mean that pesticides affect them in different ways. Margreet van der Burg, Chair of SPRINT's Gender Committee, shares evidence from SPRINT that highlights some of these differences, and offers recommendations to other projects to ensure that sex and gender considerations are embedded across the research.

Read the blog here: https://sprint-h2020.eu/index.php/blog/item/14-pesticides-are-the-risks-different-for-men-and-women

Over the past 5.5 years, the SPRINT project has aimed to:

• improve the understanding of pesticides' impacts on environmental, animal and human health through a global health risk assessment approach
• support pathways towards more sustainable plant protection

Now the project has drawn to a close, we are keen to hear if our work has influenced your work or your way of thinking.

Complete our short survey to tell us how you have received and understood our work >>

https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/glos/sprint-evaluation-survey

Thank you - your feedback is important to us!

Earthworms, mites and bees might be small, but they are powerful helpers on farms and in gardens. Worms keep soil healthy, mites protect crops from pests, and bees help plants grow fruit and seeds.

Our new 2-minute animation for kids shows how pesticide mixtures harm these superhero bugs, and what we can all do to help protect these important mini-beasts.

Scientists working on the EU-funded SPRINT project wanted to understand what happens when these tiny heroes are exposed to mixtures of pesticides, which are combinations of chemicals often found in real farm soils.

But as you will see in the video, although single pesticides can appear safe when tested alone, our research shows that mixtures can cause greater harm.

Watch the animation now!

This work was commissioned by the Countryside & Community Research Institute, University of Gloucestershire, on behalf of SPRINT, and created by Rumpus Animations together with animation students from the University of Gloucestershire.

You may have heard that some pesticides can disrupt the gut microbiome. In our latest blog, Maaike Gerritse shares findings from the SPRINT project that show how pesticides affect this delicate ecosystem, as well as the first ever evidence that pesticides can change the microbiome in your nose that protects you from disease.

Read the blog here: https://sprint-h2020.eu/index.php/blog/item/13-could-pesticides-affect-gut-health-microbiome-sprint

Recent research from SPRINT proves that many more people and animals are exposed to glyphosate than suggested by standard urine-based assessments.

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

The factsheet is based on the peer-reviewed paper Large scale biomonitoring of glyphosate and AMPA by analysis of human and animal feces and comparison with urine by Diat et al.  which was recently published in the journal Environment International. 

The study conducted the first large-scale assessment of glyphosate/AMPA internal exposure using faeces as an alternative to urine.

Given that glyphosate exposure is much wider exposure than previously assumed, regulators may need to reconsider how they calculate overall exposure to this widely used pesticide.

Read the factsheet

You can now watch the recording of our February webinar in which our researchers present the SPRINT Toolbox: our practical resource to support more realistic risk assessments of pesticides.

Watch the webinar here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lhtqUy1mhk&t=128s

The SPRINT Toolbox contains a collection of pesticide mapping tools, assessment tools, models and extensive European and Argentinian data from the SPRINT project.

Its tools include:

• Pesticide concentration and ecological risk maps at the field, national and European level that indicate where pesticides may be putting ecosystems under pressure.
• Estimates of potential dietary exposure to pesticides for humans and farm animals Health Impact Assessments of pesticides - how we assessed the potential health effects of a pesticide policy, programme or project before it is implemented
• Models to estimate pesticide emissions, fate and exposure, including SPRINT’s SWIPPE (wind-erosion model for particle-phase pesticides) model to calculate downwind concentrations of particle-phase pesticides.
• Pesticide monitoring data from 11 case study sites in Europe and Argentina, showing the pesticide residues we detected in the environment, humans and animals
• Our toxicity and ecotoxicity results, including how we assessed mixtures of concern.

Webinar speakers:

• Anke Huss, Utrecht University
• Arash Derakhshan, Utrecht University
• Artur Radomyski, Masaryk University
• Daniel Figueiredo, Utrecht University
• Farshad Soheilifard, Technical University of Denmark
• Jakub Hofman, Masaryk University
• Paula da Silva Tourinho, Masaryk University
• Rozita Soltani Tehrani, Wageningen University
• Shiva Sabzevari, Masaryk University
• Simona Panzacchi, Ramazzini Institute
• Vera da Felix Silva, Wageningen University

Click the image below to watch the session:

During this webinar, we reflect on our research results from Europe and Argentina over the past 5.5 years, including:

• Pesticide monitoring in humans and the environment: what do our results mean for real-world risks?
• New approaches and resources for assessing pesticides' eco/toxicological risks, including the SPRINT Toolbox
• Recommendations for regulators and policymakers to support pesticide risk assessment and transitions to more sustainable plant protection

Speakers: Violette Geissen, Wageningen University & Research, The Netherlands Paula Harkes, Wageningen University & Research (on behalf of Virginia Aparicio, National Institute of Agricultural Technology, Argentina) Jakub Hofman, Masaryk University, Czechia

The SPRINT Toolbox: a practical tool for more realistic risk assessment of pesticides

Webinar 

Date: Friday 13 February 2026

Time: 13:00-14:30 CET (12:00 - 13.30 GMT)

Register today: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/02d67508-6791-4085-bffd-ddffb9b3db34@27d137e5-761f-4dc1-af88-d26430abb18f

Join us on 13th February to learn how you can use the SPRINT Toolbox to build a clearer picture of pesticides’ impacts on human health and ecosystems and, in turn, guide stronger environmental and health protection policies.

What is the SPRINT Toolbox?

The SPRINT Toolbox is here to help you understand and analyse pesticide occurrence, exposure (dietary and environmental) and eco/toxic risks. It contains a collection of pesticide mapping tools, assessment tools, models and extensive European and Argentinian data from the SPRINT project 

• For decision-makers and policy-makers, the Toolbox supports integrated risk assessments of pesticides (one/global health assessment) and informs strategies aimed at reducing pesticide use.  
• For scientists, the Toolbox provides a structured platform integrating SPRINT data, exposure models and health impact methodologies, helping you build on existing work without unnecessary duplication.
• For the wider public, the Toolbox shows where pesticides occur in Europe, at what levels, and their effects on humans, plants and animals. 

What will you learn at the webinar?

The Toolbox's developers will talk you through its key features and uses, including:

• Pesticide concentration and ecological risk maps at the field, national and European level that indicate where pesticides may be putting ecosystems under pressure.
• Estimates of potential dietary exposure to pesticides for humans and farm animals
• Health Impact Assessments of pesticides - how we assessed the potential health effects of a pesticide policy, programme or project before it is implemented
• Models to estimate pesticide emissions, fate and exposure, including SPRINT’s SWIPPE (wind-erosion model for particle-phase pesticides) model to calculate downwind concentrations of particle-phase pesticides.

You'll also explore SPRINT's results contained within the Toolbox:

• Pesticide monitoring data from 11 case study sites in Europe and Argentina, showing the pesticide residues we detected in the environment, humans and animals.
• The toxicity and ecotoxicity of pesticides, including how we assessed mixtures of concern. 

Speakers

You will hear from, and have to chance to put your questions to:

Anke Huss, Utrecht University

Arash Derakhshan, Utrecht University

Artur Radomyski, Masaryk University

Daniel Figueiredo, Utrecht University

Farshad Soheilifard, Technical University of Denmark

Jakub Hofman, Masaryk University

Paula da Silva Tourinho, Masaryk University

Rozita Soltani Tehrani, Wageningen University

Shiva Sabzevari, Masaryk University

Simona Panzacchi, Ramazzini Institute

Vera da Felix Silva, Wageningen University

>> Sign up to the webinar