Humans are likely to be exposed to pesticides via residues in food, emissions to environment (e.g. ground water) or bystander exposure to airborne drift. Occupational exposure through handling and application processes and tending treated crops and picking and packing crops treated previously causes in most cases the most severe exposure.

Acute health effects of the pesticides are relatively well known, but there are still a lack of knowledge about, for example, long term effects, reproductive effects or interactions between different substances. Pesticide handlers are usually aware of the acute effects and are willing to protect themselves from apparent health risks, but these other possible effects are not well known.

The registered, modern pesticide products are safe to use if the instructions g

The situation regarding dioxin was totally different. The toxicology of dioxins is not any easier task for the laymen to understand, but the route of exposure probably was, as the herring lies on your plate and not on a distant field. Some people stopped eating Baltic herring, but only a few if any stopped eating apples from France. The fishermen came out strongly to protect their trade. It is apparent, that some people probably started to even eat more Baltic herring just to protest against European Union.

People working with pesticides do have somewhat different attitudes compared to laymen. It has been seen as a major problem in educating the farmers and other workers to make them understand the meaning of the instructions given. The labellings concerning protective equipment are designed each case to meet the demands of the particular substance. It is difficult to explain, why one piece of PPE suitable with one chemical and another is not. It has been noticed that the bad odour of the product is the best motivator of protecting oneself and on the other words would be an efficient help in communicating pesticide risks. It is kind of a pity, that modern pesticide products do not usually have bad smell anymore.

In this essay, issues related to risk perception and communication are discussed with specific emphasis on consumer and occupational exposure.

The process of placing plant protection products into the common market according to Directive 414/91/EEC is divided into two procedures. The active ingredients of pesticides are allocated by the Commission to be assessed by individual Member States. Products are approved on a national level. It is therefore possible to take the regional differences into account quite efficiently.

Some topics in this essay:
, Finland Sweden, European Union, European Commission, Baltic Sea, risk communication, pesticide risks, residues food, risk communicators, baltic herring, modern pesticide products, plant protection products, european union risk, european union, fishing industry, health effects, issues related, risk communication pesticides, union risk,