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A keystone aquatic species develops resistance to compounds used to treat organic fields near its ponds. A keystone aquatic species develops resistance to compounds used to treat organic fields near its ponds., Author Affiliations: A worker harvests kale on an organic farm. The limited selection of pesticides used on such farms can drive evolution of pesticide resistance in nearby species. Credit: Brendon [...]

ABSTRACT Malathion is an organophosphate pesticide that is sprayed agriculturally and for public health threats such as malaria and West Nile virus. It can contaminate surface waters, where it can [...]

An analytical procedure based on comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC x GC) coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF-MS) for the simultaneous determination of 97 organic contaminants at trace concentration in river water is presented. The target analytes included 13 pharmaceuticals, 18 plasticizers, 8 personal care products, 9 acid herbicides, 8 triazines, 10 organophosphorous compounds, 5 phenylureas, 12 organochlorine biocides, 9 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and 5 benzothiazoles and benzotriazoles. The best resolution of the target analytes in the contour plots was obtained when a nonpolar stationary phase was used in the first dimension and polar one in the second. However, in the opposite configuration, polar-nonpolar, the retention time in the second dimension exhibited a strong correlation with the log Kow (p < 0.01), and it was proposed as an additional identification criteria. The developed methodology is based on a polymeric solidphase extraction followed by in GC-port methylatlon and GC x GC/TOF-MS determination. Moreover, limits of detection (LODs) and quantification (LOQs) ranged from 0.5 to 100 ng/L and from 2 to 185 ng/L, respectively. Repeatability was always lower than 20%. Finally, the developed method has been successfully applied to the determination of incurred target analytes in four river waters subjected to a different anthropogenic pressure. 10.1021/ac902340e

The nature and quantity of soil organic matter play dominant roles controlling the fate of pesticide in the environment. We hypothesized that land use such as cultivation has profound impacts to the nature and quantity of soil organic carbon (SOC), and thus affects the mechanisms as well as magnitude of pesticide sorption in soil. Twenty-one soils with a wide range of properties under various land uses were examined in this study. The specific objectives were to evaluate the nature of SOC using solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and to determine sorption behavior of a nonionic pesticide, phosalone (S-6-chloro-2,3-dihydro-2oxobenzoxazol-3-ylmethyl O,O-diethyl phosphorodithioate) in these soils, and to elucidate the relationships between SOC fractions and sorption parameters in cultivated and uncultivated soils. As revealed by NMR spectra and principal component analysis (PCA) of tested variables, the quantity and composition of SOC differed considerably between cultivated and uncultivated soils. The decline of O-alkyl carbon fraction of SOC is proportional to the increase in fractions of aryl carbon, O-aryl carbon, and ketones/aldehydes carbon with the correlation coefficients of 0.78 ***, 0.66 *** and 0.82 ***, respectively (n = 21). This change in the SOC composition and quantity led to changes in the sorption behavior of phosalone in soil. Uncultivated soils exhibited a linear increase of pesticide binding strength to SOC (organic carbon lOCI partition coefficients) with the increase of the reciprocal OC content (r = 0.95 ***, n = 9), while this relationship was not observed in cultivated soils, The obtained results suggested that mechanisms of pesticide sorption were different in cultivated and uncultivated soils. Abbreviations: CP, cross-polarization; HPLC, high performance liquid chromatography; MAS, magicangle spinning; NMR, nuclear magnetic resonance; OC, organic carbon; PC, principal component; PCA, principal component analysis; SOC, soil organic carbon; *** significant at the 0.05 probability level. doi: 10.2136/sssaj2008.0396

The high-throughput analysis of pesticides in raw agricultural commodities has been hindered by the slow and laborious sample preparation stages. Using traditional clean-up procedures, as many as 20 steps are [...]

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the relationship between diagnosed depression and pesticide exposure using information from private pesticide applicators enrolled in the Agricultural Health Study between 1993 and 1997 in lowa and [...]

The article discusses different methods and chemicals that are being used to biologically control different diseases of the containerized plants. The addition of appropriate blends of materials in potting mixes and the optimization of the environmental factors are shown to be the most common and effective techniques for the purpose.

Environmental factors have been shown to contribute to the incidence of Parkinson's disease (PD). Pesticides, which represent one of the primary classes of environmental agents associated with PD, share the common feature of being intentionally released into the environment to control or eliminate pests. Pesticides consist of multiple classes and subclasses of insecticides, herbicides, rodenticides, fungicides, fumigants and others and exhibit a vast array of chemically diverse structures. In this review we examine the evidence regarding the ability of each of the major pesticide subclasses to increase the incidence of PD. We propose that, from a toxicological perspective, it would be beneficial to identify specific subclasses, common structural features and the propensity for widespread human exposure when considering the potential role in PD, rather than using the overly broad term of 'pesticides' to describe this diverse group of chemicals. Furthermore, these chemicals and their environmentally relevant combinations should be evaluated for their ability to promote or accelerate PD and not merely for being singular causative agents.

The mass consumption of agrochemicals, including manufactured fertilizers and pesticides, by industrialized agricultural systems worldwide threatens human health and the health of ecosystems. The production of these agricultural inputs is a highly energy- and capital-intensive process, and their application contributes to a variety of direct and indirect impacts on the environment. This study is an analysis of the relationships between international trade in agricultural products and the consumption of these synthetic compounds. Using OLS regression models and data from World Bank and UNFAO, we analyze cross-national data to examine the relationship between structural factors, such as economic development and export intensity, and both fertilizer and pesticide consumption. The findings are considered from the opposing theoretical perspectives of international political economy (IPE) and neo-liberal modernization (NLM). The results generally support the claims of IPE and contradict those of NLM, indicating that increases in exports of agricultural products contribute to increases in fertilizer and pesticide consumption within nations. These results call into question policies that promote increased trade liberalization in agricultural products.

This study examines whether pesticide risk indicators can be used to evaluate the environmental effects of pesticide applications within integrated pest management (IPM) projects. Pesticide risk indicators, commonly used in European countries, are mathematical equations that consider data inputs such as application rates, toxicity levels of a pesticide's active ingredient, meteorological data, the soil characteristics of farm fields, and other information to generate potential risk scores for pesticide applications. These potential risk scores represent the best estimate of a pesticide's impact on the surrounding environment. This project analyzed eight pesticide risk indicators, developed throughout Europe and the United States, with two years of pesticide application data from four farms using IPM. This two-year study allowed for a determination of the validity and reliability of pesticide risk indicators. The findings reveal that only three pesticide risk indicators performed consistently and gave valid results. These indicators are: the synoptic evaluation model for plant protection agents (SYNOPS) indicator from Germany, the multi-attribute toxicity factor from the United States, and the environmental impact quotient from the United States. As a result, the authors recommend these three indicators for future research and for IPM evaluative efforts that emphasize the environmental effects of pesticides. Key words: integrated pest management, pesticide risk indicators, environmental assessment, program evaluation, pesticide risk

A village in India sets an example for effective and beneficial recovery from harmful pesticide use, making it totally pesticide-free. An addiction to commercial pesticides which devastated the health, economy and environment of the farmers has been turned around by the use of natural pesticides such as neem, chilly and garlic.