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The Science of the Total Environment Jul 2022This paper presents a novel scoring system which facilitates a relative ranking of pesticide risk to human health arising from contaminated drinking water. This method...
This paper presents a novel scoring system which facilitates a relative ranking of pesticide risk to human health arising from contaminated drinking water. This method was developed to identify risky pesticides to better inform monitoring programmes and risk assessments. Potential risk was assessed considering pesticide use, chronic human health effects and environmental fate. Site-specific soil conditions, such as soil erodibility, hydrologic group, soil depth, clay, sand, silt, and organic carbon content of soil, were incorporated to demonstrate how pesticide fate can be influenced by the areas in which they are used. The indices of quantity of use, consequence and likelihood of exposure, hazard score and quantity-weighted hazard score were used to describe the level of concern that should be attributed to a pesticide. Metabolite toxicity and persistence were also considered in a separate scoring to highlight the contribution metabolites make to overall pesticide risk. This study presents two sets of results for 63 pesticides in an Irish case study, (1) risk scores calculated for the parent compounds only and (2) a combined pesticide-metabolite risk score. In both cases the results are assessed for two locations with differing soil and hydrological properties. The method developed in this paper can be adapted by pesticide users to assess and compare pesticide risk at site level using pesticide hazard scores. Farm advisors, water quality monitors, and catchment managers can apply this method to screen pesticides for human health risk at a regional or national level.
Topics: Drinking Water; Environmental Monitoring; Humans; Pesticides; Soil; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Water Pollution; Water Quality
PubMed: 35302029
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154532 -
The Science of the Total Environment Nov 2020Pesticide and veterinary drug residues are one of the stress factors affecting bee health and mortality. To investigate the occurrence, the concentration and the...
Pesticide and veterinary drug residues are one of the stress factors affecting bee health and mortality. To investigate the occurrence, the concentration and the toxicity risk to bees of pesticide residues in four different types of beeswax (brood comb wax, recycled comb wax, honey comb wax, and cappings wax), 182 samples were collected from apiaries located all over the Belgian territories, during spring 2016 and analysed by LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS for the presence of 294 chemical residues. The toxicity risk to bees expressed as the Hazard Quotient (HQ) was calculated for each wax sample, according to two scenarios with different tau-fluvalinate LD values. Residues showing the highest prevalence were correlated to bee mortality in a multivariate logistic regression model and a risk-based model was used to predict colony bee mortality. Altogether, 54 different pesticide and veterinary drug residues were found in the four types of beeswax. The residues with a higher likelihood to be retained in beeswax are applied in-hive or with a high lipophilic nature. The multivariate logistic regression model showed a statistically significant influence of chlorfenvinphos on bee mortality. All our results indicated that cappings wax was substantially less contaminated. This national survey on beeswax contamination provides guidelines on the re-use of beeswax by beekeepers and shows the necessity to introduce maximum residue levels for global trade in beeswax. An online tool was developed to enable beekeepers and wax traders to estimate the risk to honey bee health associated with contaminated wax.
Topics: Animals; Bees; Belgium; Chromatography, Liquid; Pesticide Residues; Pesticides; Tandem Mass Spectrometry; Veterinary Drugs; Waxes
PubMed: 32758732
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141036 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Sep 2023The vast quantity and high variety of pesticides globally used in agriculture entails considerable risks for the environment and requires ensuring the safety of food...
The vast quantity and high variety of pesticides globally used in agriculture entails considerable risks for the environment and requires ensuring the safety of food products. Therefore, powerful analytical tools are needed to acquire qualitative and quantitative data for monitoring pesticide residues. The development of ambient ionization mass spectrometry methods in the past two decades has demonstrated numerous ways to generate ions under atmospheric conditions and simultaneously to reduce the need for extended sample preparation and circumvent chromatographic separation prior to mass analysis. Swab spray ionization enables the generation of ions directly from swabs via the application of high voltage and solvent flow. In this study, swab sampling of fruit surfaces and subsequent ionization directly from the swab in a modified electrospray ion source was employed for the screening and quantitation of pesticide residues. Aspects regarding sample collection, sampling efficacy on different surfaces, and swab background are discussed. The effect of solvent composition on pesticide-sodium adduct formation and the suppression of ionization by the background matrix have been investigated. Furthermore, a novel approach for the quantitation of pesticide residues based on depletion curve areas is presented. It is demonstrated that swab spray ionization is an effective and quick method for spectral library-based identification and the quantitative analysis of polar contact pesticide residues on food.
Topics: Pesticide Residues; Fruit; Mass Spectrometry; Pesticides; Solvents; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization
PubMed: 37764387
DOI: 10.3390/molecules28186611 -
Proceedings. Biological Sciences Sep 2020Bees and other beneficial insects experience multiple stressors within agricultural landscapes that act together to impact their health and diminish their ability to...
Bees and other beneficial insects experience multiple stressors within agricultural landscapes that act together to impact their health and diminish their ability to deliver the ecosystem services on which human food supplies depend. Disentangling the effects of coupled stressors is a primary challenge for understanding how to promote their populations and ensure robust pollination and other ecosystem services. We used a crossed design to quantify the individual and combined effects of food resource limitation and pesticide exposure on the survival, nesting, and reproduction of the blue orchard bee . Nesting females in large flight cages accessed wildflowers at high or low densities, treated with or without the common insecticide, imidacloprid. Pesticides and resource limitation acted additively to dramatically reduce reproduction in free-flying bees. Our results emphasize the importance of considering multiple drivers to inform population persistence, management, and risk assessment for the long-term sustainability of food production and natural ecosystems.
Topics: Agriculture; Animals; Bees; Ecosystem; Female; Insecticides; Neonicotinoids; Nitro Compounds; Pesticides; Pollination; Reproduction
PubMed: 32993468
DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1390 -
Frontiers in Public Health 2022Pesticides are widely used in agricultural production to control insect pests and regulate plant growth in China, which may result in the presence of some pesticide...
BACKGROUND
Pesticides are widely used in agricultural production to control insect pests and regulate plant growth in China, which may result in the presence of some pesticide residues in the vegetables. However, few studies of monitoring pesticides have been conducted in Henan Province. The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of pesticide residues in commonly consumed vegetables in the regions of Henan Province.
METHODS
In this study, we collected 5,576 samples of 15 different vegetables in 17 areas from Henan Province during 2020. Eight kinds of pesticides were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), including procymidone, lambda-cyhalothrin, cypermethrin, pendimethalin, isocarbophos, isazophos, fenthion and deltamethrin. The chi-square test was used to compare the detection rates of pesticide residues in different regions.
RESULTS
Of all the pesticides above, procymidone, lambda-cyhalothrin, cypermethrin, pendimethalin and isocarbophos were detected in vegetables, the detection rates were 27.0%, 16.2%, 11.4%, 3.5%, and 1.9%, respectively. However, isazophos, fenthion, and deltamethrin were not detected. In addition, procymidone, lambda-cyhalothrin, and cypermethrin were detected in urban areas, while pendimethalin was detected in rural areas. The detection rates of cypermethrin and pendimethalin in rural were 19.8% and 5.4%, respectively, which in urban were at relatively lower levels (13.7% and 1.9%, respectively) ( < 0.05). Compared the differences of pesticide detection rates among five areas of Henan province, we found that there were statistical differences in the detection rates of procymidone, cypermethrin and lambda-cyhalothrin in different regions (all < 0.05).
CONCLUSION
The results have revealed that the pesticide residues are present. Higher detection rates and more types of pesticides were found in rural areas than urban areas. In addition, there were higher detection rates in Eastern Henan. The findings provided valuable information on the current pesticide residues status, which can be a reference of pesticide supervision and management.
Topics: Fenthion; Food Contamination; Pesticide Residues; Pesticides; Vegetables
PubMed: 35757605
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.901485 -
Environmental Science & Technology May 2023Contamination of the environment by pesticide residues is a growing concern given their widespread presence in the environment and their effects on ecosystems. Only a...
Contamination of the environment by pesticide residues is a growing concern given their widespread presence in the environment and their effects on ecosystems. Only a few studies have addressed the occurrence of pesticides in soils, and their results highlighted the need for further research on the persistence and risks induced by those substances. We monitored 111 pesticide residues (48 fungicides, 36 herbicides, 25 insecticides and/or acaricides, and two safeners) in 47 soils sampled across France under various land uses (arable lands, vineyards, orchards, forests, grasslands, and brownfields). Pesticides were found in 98% of the sites (46 of the 47 sampled), including untreated areas such as organic fields, forests, grasslands, and brownfields, with up to 33 different substances detected in one sample, mostly fungicides and herbicides. The concentrations of herbicides were the highest in soils with glyphosate, and its transformation product, AMPA, contributed 70% of the cumulative herbicides. Risk assessment underlined a moderate to high risk for earthworms in arable soils mostly attributed to insecticides and/or acaricides. Finally, the comparison with pesticide application by farmers underlines the presence of some residues long after their supposed 90% degradation and at concentrations higher than predicted environmental concentrations, leading to questions their real persistence in soils.
Topics: Pesticide Residues; Soil; Insecticides; Agriculture; Fungicides, Industrial; Acaricides; Ecosystem; Environmental Monitoring; Soil Pollutants; Pesticides; Herbicides
PubMed: 37172312
DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c09591 -
Frontiers in Public Health 2022At present, the phenomenon of excessive pesticide residues in vegetables is prominent, causing widespread concern among all sectors of society. Excavate the influencing...
At present, the phenomenon of excessive pesticide residues in vegetables is prominent, causing widespread concern among all sectors of society. Excavate the influencing factors in the farmers themselves, government, market and society that affect vegetable farmers' green pesticide application behavior, clarify the influence mechanism of influencing factors on vegetable farmers' green pesticide application behavior. The study includes two parts: First, Grounded theory is used to construct a conceptual model that illustrates vegetable farmers' green pesticide application behavior. The second part applies the structural equation modeling to verify the research hypotheses, and reveals various factors in vegetable farmers' green pesticide application behavior (GB). The Results: Behavioral attitude (BA) and behavioral feedback perception (BP) are precursor variables that determine vegetable farmers' green pesticide application motivation (GM), and thus affect vegetable farmers' GB. Government supervision and regulation (GR), and market adjustment guidance (MG) are external factors that regulate the strength of the relationship between GM and GB. It is necessary to further strengthen the reference and normative role of society in vegetable farmers' GB, and provide a driving strategy for vegetable farmers' GB. Thus, it can better improve the quality of pesticide application and ensure vegetable safety.
Topics: Agriculture; Farmers; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Pesticide Residues; Pesticides; Vegetables
PubMed: 36159273
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.907788 -
Environment International Dec 2019Non-agricultural uses of pesticides are common in the U.S. and may thus lead to exposure of non-target ecosystems such as urban waterways. However, surface water... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Non-agricultural uses of pesticides are common in the U.S. and may thus lead to exposure of non-target ecosystems such as urban waterways. However, surface water exposure resulting from agricultural pesticide uses has received substantially more attention during the last decades. Here we conducted a literature review and meta-analysis of peer-reviewed studies to identify measured environmental concentrations (MEC) of pesticides in perennial surface water bodies due to non-agricultural uses in the U.S. Acute and chronic Aquatic Life Benchmarks (ALB, ALB) for water-phase concentrations and regulatory threshold levels (RTL) for sediment concentrations were used for risk evaluations. Based on 10,755 MECs retrieved from 70 scientific studies, results show that a multitude of pesticide compounds (approx. 150) have been detected at 609 urban surface water sites. Particularly herbicides and insecticides were among the most frequently detected compounds in the water phase, whereas insecticides dominated detections in sediments. While overall acute (5.64% ALB exceedances; n = 9034 MEC) and chronic (9.31% ALB exceedances; n = 9036 MEC) risks were comparably low in the water phase, 35% of sediment concentrations (n = 1621 MEC) exceeded RTL. Insecticides and particularly pyrethroids were identified as the main drivers of benchmark exceedances in both the water phase and sediments. In addition to pesticide type, a linear model analysis identified further drivers important for risks such as sampling methods. Overall insecticide risks in non-agricultural surface waters were significantly (by a factor of 1.9) lower than those already known from agricultural surface waters in the U.S. However, substantially higher risks in sediments were identified for urban compared with agricultural waterbodies. The present study provides the first comprehensive assessment of pesticides in urban surface waters in the U.S. with overall results indicating common occurrence and non-negligible risks particularly due to urban insecticide uses.
Topics: Environmental Monitoring; Environmental Pollution; Fresh Water; Pesticides; United States; Water Pollutants, Chemical
PubMed: 31654914
DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2019.105234 -
International Journal of Molecular... May 2020Carbonic anhydrase (CA) is a widespread metalloenzyme playing a pivotal role in several physiological processes. Many studies have demonstrated the in vitro and in vivo... (Review)
Review
Carbonic anhydrase (CA) is a widespread metalloenzyme playing a pivotal role in several physiological processes. Many studies have demonstrated the in vitro and in vivo sensitivity of CA to the exposure to several classes of pesticides in both humans and wildlife. This review aims to analyze and to discuss the literature available in this field, providing a comprehensive view useful to foresee perspectives for the development of novel CA-based pesticide biomarkers. The analysis of the available data highlighted the ability of several pesticide molecules to interact directly with the enzyme in humans and wildlife and to inhibit CA activity in vitro and in vivo, with possible alterations of key physiological functions. The analysis disclosed key areas of further research and, at the same time, identified some perspectives for the development of novel CA-based sensitive biomarkers to pesticide exposure, suitable to be used in several fields from human biomonitoring in occupational and environmental medicine to environmental monitoring on non-target species.
Topics: Animals; Biomarkers; Carbonic Anhydrase Inhibitors; Carbonic Anhydrases; Environmental Monitoring; Humans; Pesticides
PubMed: 32443560
DOI: 10.3390/ijms21103562 -
The Science of the Total Environment Feb 2022Greenhouse and other covered cultivation systems have increased globally over the past several decades, leading to considerably improved product quality and productivity...
Greenhouse and other covered cultivation systems have increased globally over the past several decades, leading to considerably improved product quality and productivity per land area unit. However, there is a paucity in information regarding the environmental impacts of covered production systems, especially regarding pesticides entering the surrounding environment. Aiming to address this knowledge gap, we collected grab samples downstream of greenhouses from seven Swedish streams every 14 days during a 12 month period. In three of the streams, samples were also taken upstream of the greenhouses and in four of the streams time-integrated samples were collected by TIMFIE samplers in the period between grab sampling occasions. The samples were analyzed for 28 substances (27 that were permitted for use in greenhouse production systems in Sweden and one degradation product to a permitted substance). Pesticide use journals were collected from the greenhouse producers for the 12 month period. The results were examined for indications of greenhouse contributions to detection frequencies, maximum and average concentrations, and potential ecotoxicicity in several ways: (1) comparing locations downstream of greenhouses with registered use of a substance with those without registered use, (2) comparing results from this study with those from the Swedish environmental monitoring program of pesticides in surface water from catchments with no greenhouses from the same period and region, (3) comparing concentration trends with registered pesticide application times in the greenhouses, and (4) comparing up- and downstream concentrations. The results strongly suggest that greenhouse applications do contribute to pesticide occurrences, maximum and median concentrations for most of the pesticides included in this study, and to potential toxicity to aquatic organisms for several of them, most notably imidacloprid, acetamiprid, carbendazim, and pirimicarb.
Topics: Environmental Monitoring; Pesticides; Sweden; Water Pollutants, Chemical
PubMed: 34890678
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152215