What significantly increases the chances of pesticide exposure for handlers?

The option regarding failing to wear proper personal protective equipment (PPE) is correct because proper PPE acts as a crucial barrier between pesticide handlers and the chemicals they are working with. When handlers do not wear adequate PPE, such as gloves, masks, protective clothing, and goggles, they significantly increase their risk of pesticide exposure through skin contact, inhalation, or accidental spillage.

PPE is designed to reduce the likelihood of pesticides entering the body or coming into contact with the skin, which can lead to acute and chronic health issues. Therefore, the absence of proper PPE directly correlates with an elevated risk of exposure to harmful substances.

The other options, while they may contribute to exposure in different ways, do not have the same broad impact on overall safety during pesticide handling as the lack of proper PPE. For instance, not using protective goggles is a specific failure of PPE but does not encompass the full range of protective measures needed. Using expired pesticides could impact their effectiveness but does not necessarily lead to a higher risk of exposure in the same way that inadequate or no PPE does. Lastly, working only in confined spaces could create a different set of exposure risks, but it is not a direct factor that increases the chances of exposure as fundamentally as failing to wear proper