Summary
Chemicals form an intricate part of our daily lives. However, it is necessary to ensure the safety of people and the environment when using chemicals and to control environmental pollution. This is particularly important as the World Health Organization estimates that global production of chemicals will almost quadruple by 2050 compared to 2010 and nearly three-quarters of industrial chemicals produced in the EU in 2017 were deemed hazardous to human health, while only 500 chemicals were considered sufficiently regulated and monitored regularly. This has highlighted a need to develop a monitoring programme to evaluate chemical exposures and understand the related risks to human health. Dr Connolly is an exposure scientist who conducts human biomonitoring studies to investigate chemical exposures specifically related to pesticides. Human biomonitoring is described by the World Health Organization as an important policy-making tool in the field of health, as it provides measured data on the range and magnitude of chemical exposures in the population which it utilises to assist in controlling and reducing these exposures.
Research description
Many EU initiatives, such as the European Green Deal and the EU Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability, have identified the need to develop a framework of indicators to monitor the drivers and impacts of chemical pollution and to measure the effectiveness of chemical legislation.
Dr Connolly’s human biomonitoring studies include measuring human exposure to the most widely used herbicide in the world, Glyphosate. This is the active ingredient in over 750 different pesticide products, including Roundup® products. This research measured exposure levels and evaluated the risks among professional gardeners and agricultural workers. Dr Connolly found low-level exposures of Glyphosate in these groups and actually found exposure levels comparable to those of farmers who typically use larger quantities of pesticides.
Dr Connolly produced the first study carried out internationally to evaluate the human biological half-life of glyphosate, which was approximately a third lower than previously estimated. The biological half-life of glyphosate is the time taken for the concentration of glyphosate in the human body to decrease by half. Further studies investigating exposures among families found a quarter of participants had low levels of glyphosate exposure, but two-thirds had levels of the main metabolite of glyphosate, aminomethylphosphonic acid. This highlighted the need to include this metabolite in future studies, as it is assumed to have the same adverse effects as glyphosate.
Dr Connolly’s current studies are investigating exposures to the most widely used class of insecticides worldwide, neonicotinoid insecticides (neonics) and will evaluate exposures to seven of the most widely used neonics. Initial studies have evaluated environmental exposures to neonics and found that three-quarters of the participants had exposure to at least one of the neonics. Further studies will evaluate professional and amateur gardeners using pesticides, vets and animal shelter workers, and pet owners using flea treatments at home.
Dr Connolly is also leading a feasibility study, which will determine whether a nationwide human biomonitoring surveillance programme could be developed in Ireland, similar to those found in Germany, Slovenia, the US, and Canada.
More information on human biomonitoring studies can be found on the Human Biomonitoring Programme for Ireland website and the EIRE study website.
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These human biomonitoring projects have had a positive impact on scientific, educational, policy-oriented, societal and international engagement. The studies contribute to understanding environmental risks due to chemical exposures, which will benefit the population's health by identifying appropriate policy responses and informing future national and EU chemical policy.