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We derived laboratory LC50 values, assessed non-target insect risks, and conducted a field bioassay for ultra-low-volume (ULV) aerosol applications of insecticides used to manage adult mosquitoes. The house cricket, Acheta domesticus (L.), was used as an indicator species for medium- to large-bodied ground dwelling insects. The 24-h LC(50) values for Permanone (formulated product of permethrin), Permanone + piperonyl butoxide (PBO), technical grade permethrin, and technical grade permethrin + PBO ranged from 0.052 to 0.9 microg/cm(2). The 24 h LC(50) for technical grade naled and Trumpet((R)) (formulated product of naled) were 0.038 and 0.44 microg/cm(2), respectively. The synergist ratio was 2.65 for Permanone + PBO and 1.57 for technical grade permethrin + PBO. The toxicity of technical grade permethrin was about 10-fold greater than Permanone. A risk assessment using modeled estimated environmental concentrations resulted in risk quotients (RQ) that exceeded regulatory levels of concern, but when compared to field-derived actual environmental concentrations RQs did not exceed a regulatory level of concern, except in the case of technical grade naled. These results were expected because higher tiered risk assessments using field-verified data generally lead to lower risk estimates. Field bioassays using caged crickets showed no significant mortality for permethrin or naled after a single truck-mounted ULV application. The results of the risk assessment using actual environmental concentrations are supported by the field bioassays and suggest that a single ULV application of synergized or unsynergized permethrin and naled most likely will not result in population impacts on medium- to large-bodied insects.

One of the most effective ways of managing adult mosquitoes that vector human and animal pathogens is the use of ultra-low-volume (ULV) insecticides. Because of the lack of environmental fate studies and concerns about the safety of the insecticides used for the management of adult mosquitoes, we conducted an environmental fate study after truck-mounted applications of permethrin and naled. One hour after application, concentrations of permethrin on cotton dosimeters placed at ground level 25, 50, and 75 m from the spray source were 2, 4, and 1 ng/cm2 in 2007 and 5, 2, and 0.9 ng/cm2 in 2008, respectively. One hour after application, concentrations of naled 25, 50, and 75 m were 47, 66, and 67 ng/cm2 in 2007 and 15, 6.1, and 0 (nondetectable) ng/cm2 in 2008, respectively. Deposition concentrations 12 h after application were not significantly different than 1 h after application for permethrin and naled either year. During 2007 and 2008 permethrin applications, two quantifiable air concentrations of 375 and 397 ng/m3 were observed 1 h after application. In 2007 and 2008, naled air concentrations ranged from 2300 to 4000 ng/m3 1 h after application. There were no quantifiable air concentrations between 1 and 12 h after application in either 2007 or 2008 for both naled and permethrin. Environmental concentrations observed in this study demonstrate that models used in previous risk assessments were sufficiently conservative (i.e., the models overestimated environmental concentrations). However, we also demonstrate inadequacies of models such as AgDrift® and AGDISP, which currently are used by the US Environmental Protection Agency to estimate environmental concentrations of ULV insecticides.

Qualitative risk assessment methodologies were used to assess the risk of establishment and consequent impacts on native minnows and species of concern (SOC) associated with the intentional or unintentional introduction of the mosquito biological control agent, Gambusia affinis, to various Montana watersheds. Gambusia affinis introductions for mosquito control have been made throughout the world; some introductions have resulted in deleterious effects on native species. We used average January water temperatures, the presence of dams, and the presence of native minnows and SOC to define endpoints for our assessment. Our results suggest that a section of the Missouri River running between Wolf Creek and Landusky had the highest overall risk score, which corresponds to the highest likelihood of establishment and effects on native minnows and SOC. We also demonstrate how rivers with the highest temperatures are not necessarily at the highest risk of having deleterious effects on minnows and SOC; conversely, these rivers were found to be at highest risk of a population of G. affinis establishing.

Ultra-low-volume (ULV) aerosol applications of insecticides are used to manage high densities of adult mosquitoes. We used two-dimensional probabilistic risk assessment methodologies to evaluate three pyrethroid insecticides (phenothrin, resmethrin, and permethrin), pyrethrins, and two organophosphate insecticides (malathion and naled), applied by truck-mounted ULV sprayer. Piperonyl butoxide, a synergist commonly used in pyrethroid and pyrethrins formulations, was also assessed. The objective of our study was to evaluate probabilistically if a deterministic human-health risk assessment of mosquito insecticides was sufficiently conservative to protect human-health. Toddlers and infants were the highest risk groups while adult males were the lowest risk group assessed in this study. Total acute exposure ranged from 0.00003 to 0.0003 mg/kg day−1 for the chemicals and subgroups assessed examining inhalation, dermal, oral, and hand-to-mouth exposure. We used the risk quotient (RQ) method for our risk assessment, which is calculated by dividing the total potential exposure for each subgroup and chemical by its ingestion toxic endpoint value (RfD). Mean RQs ranged from 0.000004 to 0.034 for all subgroups and chemicals, with none exceeding the RQ level of concern. Naled had the highest RQs of any chemical assessed while PBO had the lowest. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated that the exposure from inhalation and deposition contributed the largest variance to the model output. Results support the findings of previous studies that the risks from adult mosquito management are most likely negligible, and that the human-health deterministic risk assessment is most likely sufficiently conservative.