The objectives were to quantify potential dermal and respiratory exposure of the tractor-driver during spraying in guava orchards with the air-assisted sprayer, to evaluate the efficiency of two types of personal protective equipment (PPE), and to classify these working conditions as safe or unsafe for each pesticide studied. The potential dermal exposure of the tractor driver was 3,807.349 mL of spray/6h. The efficiency in the control of dermal exposure was 96.7% for the Agro Light set and 96.2% for the Azeredo set. The feet, arms, thighs front legs and back trunk were the areas most exposed in the absence of protective measures, while exposure was generalized over the body when the PPE was used. The working conditions were considered to be safe in the case of 3 of the 17 pesticides tested in the absence of protective measures, and in the case of 4 additional pesticides when the Agro Light and Azeredo PPE was used, for a total of 7 pesticides.
pesticide; dermal exposure; respiratory exposure; guava
