Contribution of agricultural and non-agricultural use of pesticides to the environmental impact on aquatic life in regional surface water systems

2004 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 125-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.H. Jongbloed ◽  
J.H.J. Hulskotte ◽  
C. Kempenaar
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
Local Variation ◽  
Analysis Tool ◽  
Pesticide Use ◽  
Aquatic Life ◽  
Land Use Types ◽  
Agricultural Use ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
Active Substances

By means of a modelling tool an analysis was made of the local variation in the use of pesticides in the province of Utrecht in The Netherlands, and the potential environmental impact of pesticide emissions on the aquatic ecosystems. The aim of this study was to identify and quantify the major sources of pesticide use and environmental impact, taking the regional variation of pesticide use into account. The analysis was targeted at different levels: detailed (individual active substances, individual agricultural crops, civil land-use types, hydrological catchment basins) and globally covering agricultural use, non-agricultural use (some civil sectors) and recreational shipping. The results can be used for the (re)design of environmental monitoring programmes of pesticides in surface waters and for the development of region based policies towards sustainable pesticide use. The analysis tool that was developed is considered to be applicable for other regions as well.

scholarly journals Identifying agricultural pesticides that may pose a risk for birds

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e9526
Author(s):  
Cannelle Tassin de Montaigu ◽  
Dave Goulson
Keyword(s):  
Great Britain ◽  
The Other ◽  
Pesticide Use ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Corn Bunting ◽  
Agricultural Pesticides ◽  
Changing Patterns ◽  
Agricultural Use ◽  
Toxic Load ◽  
Active Substances

In this study, we analyze changing patterns of pesticide use in agriculture in Great Britain over the 1990–2016 period, with respect to the risk they pose to birds. The weight of pesticides applied decreased by 51% between 1990 and 2016, but the area treated increased by 63% over the same period. Over this period, there has been considerable turnover in the pesticides used. The European Union (including Great Britain until 2020) has restricted or banned many pesticides for agricultural use, including organophosphates and carbamates. However, new generations of active substances have been introduced, such as the neonicotinoids, some of which have since been banned. In this analysis, we estimate the annual ‘toxic load’ of agricultural pesticide use in Great Britain for birds, measured as the total number of LD50 doses for corn buntings, Emberiza calandra. We have previously performed similar analyses for bees, for which the total toxic load increased six-fold during this period. In contrast, for birds the total toxic load fell by 80.5%, although still correspond to 8.3e+11 corn bunting LD50 doses in 2016. The decrease in toxicity is largely due to declining use of highly toxic organophosphates in recent years. We identify the pesticides in current use that may pose the highest risk to birds, which include a mix of insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, molluscicides, acaricides and plant growth regulators. The insecticide ethoprop was ranked highest in 2016, with a toxic load of 71 billion potential corn bunting kills. Some of the other chemicals presenting a high toxic load, such as the herbicide chlormequat, are not highly toxic to birds (in terms of LD50) but are used in very large quantities. However, it is important to stress that, in reality, only a tiny proportion of pesticides applied will be ingested by birds, and this will vary according to timing and method of application, persistence of the active substance and many other factors. We further note that impacts of pesticides on birds might often be indirect, for example via depleting their food supply, and that sublethal impacts may occur at much lower doses than the LD50, neither of which do we investigate here. Nonetheless, we suggest that this is a useful approach to highlight pesticides that might be worth closer study with regard to possible impacts.

scholarly journals The Importance of Environmental Factors in the Planning of Container Terminals: The Case Study of the Port of Augusta

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 2153
Author(s):  
Nadia Giuffrida ◽  
Maja Stojaković ◽  
Elen Twrdy ◽  
Matteo Ignaccolo
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Container Terminal ◽  
Decision Support Tool ◽  
Container Terminals ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Support Tool ◽  
Clean Environment ◽  
Different Levels

Container terminals are the main hubs of the global supply chain but, conversely, they play an important role in energy consumption, environmental pollution and even climate change due to carbon emissions. Assessing the environmental impact of this type of port terminal and choosing appropriate mitigation measures is essential to pursue the goals related to a clean environment and ensuring a good quality of life of the inhabitants of port cities. In this paper the authors present a Terminal Decision Support Tool (TDST) for the development of a container terminal that considers both operation efficiency and environmental impacts. The TDST provides environmental impact mitigation measures based on different levels of evolution of the port’s container traffic. An application of the TDST is conducted on the Port of Augusta (Italy), a port that is planning infrastructural interventions in coming years in order to gain a new role as a reference point for container traffic in the Mediterranean.

scholarly journals Micropollutants in Urban Stormwater Runoff of Different Land Uses

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 1312
Author(s):  
Daniel Wicke ◽  
Andreas Matzinger ◽  
Hauke Sonnenberg ◽  
Nicolas Caradot ◽  
Rabea-Luisa Schubert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
Flame Retardants ◽  
Stormwater Runoff ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Quality Standards ◽  
Urban Land Use ◽  
Organic Micropollutants ◽  
Land Use Types

The main aim of this study was a survey of micropollutants in stormwater runoff of Berlin (Germany) and its dependence on land-use types. In a one-year monitoring program, event mean concentrations were measured for a set of 106 parameters, including 85 organic micropollutants (e.g., flame retardants, phthalates, pesticides/biocides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH)), heavy metals and standard parameters. Monitoring points were selected in five catchments of different urban land-use types, and at one urban river. We detected 77 of the 106 parameters at least once in stormwater runoff of the investigated catchment types. On average, stormwater runoff contained a mix of 24 µg L−1 organic micropollutants and 1.3 mg L−1 heavy metals. For organic micropollutants, concentrations were highest in all catchments for the plasticizer diisodecyl phthalate. Concentrations of all but five parameters showed significant differences among the five land-use types. While major roads were the dominant source of traffic-related substances such as PAH, each of the other land-use types showed the highest concentrations for some substances (e.g., flame retardants in commercial area, pesticides in catchment dominated by one family homes). Comparison with environmental quality standards (EQS) for surface waters shows that 13 micropollutants in stormwater runoff and 8 micropollutants in the receiving river exceeded German quality standards for receiving surface waters during storm events, highlighting the relevance of stormwater inputs for urban surface waters.

scholarly journals Getis-Ord Gi* statistics for hydrocarbons content analysis in the Tromjegan river basin

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-160
Author(s):  
Valentina Dobryakova ◽  
Natalya Moskvina ◽  
Andrey Dobryakov ◽  
Lilia Zhegalina ◽  
Ildar Idrisov
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Monitoring ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Hot Spot ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Environmental Research ◽  
Analysis Tool ◽  
Hydrocarbon Pollution ◽  
Average Maximum

The information content and effectiveness of ecological research of the territory can be improved using the methods of multivariate analysis and mapping of the results. The article presents the analysis and mapping results of spatial and temporal trends of hydrocarbon pollution in the Tromjegan river basin for the period 2006–2018 using the tools of ArcGIS Pro. The informational and basic research is the data of local environmental monitoring of licensed blocks of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug — Ugra. Pollution analysis was carried out on the basis of a detailed study of the geography of the source data using statistical calculations (minimum, average, maximum distances between sampling points, Getis-Ord Gi* index). Thematic maps were constructed using data averaged over the year. The spatial and temporal dynamics of hydrocarbons concentration in surface waters for 2006–2018 is analyzed using the “Hot Spot Analysis” tool. A temporary cluster section of hydrocarbons average annual concentration according to the Getis-Ord Gi* indicator allowed us to identify trends in the dynamics of indicators. Maps of hydrocarbons average annual concentration were compiled and the results of a spatial-temporal analysis of hydrocarbons average annual concentration in surface waters were presented. The identification of patterns in large arrays of long-term data and the consideration of the spatial component are necessary elements of modern environmental research. Analysis of the time series of average annual concentrations in the Tromjegan river basin showed a clear trend in the dynamics of hydrocarbon pollution. The findings can be the basis for making managerial decisions in the environmental monitoring of licensed blocks of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug — Ugra.

scholarly journals Risk Assessment of Malakite with the Active Substances Dithianon and Pyrimenthanil

2019 ◽  
pp. 312-314
Author(s):  
Torsten Källqvist ◽  
Merete Grung ◽  
Katrine Borgå ◽  
Hubert Dirven ◽  
Ole Martin Eklo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
Plant Protection ◽  
Aquatic Organisms ◽  
Toxicity Tests ◽  
Concentration Addition ◽  
Active Ingredients ◽  
Active Substances ◽  
Assessment Factor

The plant protection product Malakite (BAS 669 01 F), containing the active substances dithianon and pyrimethanil, is a fungicide against scab in pome fruits. Products containing these active plant protection substances are approved in Norway, but not with both substances in the same product. The Swedish Chemicals Agency (KemI) has as zonal Rapporteur Member State (zRMS) of the Northern Zone evaluated the product Malakite and decided on non-approval due to the observation of unacceptable effects in exposed birds, aquatic organisms, non-target arthropods and earthworms. On request from The Norwegian Food Safety Authority, the VKM Panel on Plant Protection Products has discussed the available data and the report prepared by KemI, and has concluded as follows on the questions raised: On the refinement of DT50 in long term risk assessment for birds: It is the view of the VKM panel that the refinement is not acceptable because the analysis using first order kinetics seems not in line with a realistic and sufficiently conservative approach for the data provided. Furthermore, field studies from more sites are required. On the long term cumulative effects of the active substances on birds: VKM shares the view of KemI, that the combined sub-lethal and reproduction effects should be assessed because the mode of action of the two ingredients has only been shown in fungi, and since the mechanisms in birds could be different. On the reduction of assessment factor for fish: VKM opposes to the reduction of assessment factor for dithianon in fish because the data from acute toxicity tests cannot be extrapolated to chronic toxicity, and because the factor should reflect not only the variation in interspecies sensitivity, but also the uncertainty involved in extrapolation from laboratory tests to the field situation. On the choice of end point in risk assessment for fish: The VKM panel considers the NOEC of dithianon for fish determined from the study at pH 7.9 not to be adequate for the more acidic Norwegian surface waters, and recommends using the data from the test performed at pH 6.5. On the formulation studies for aquatic organisms: It is the opinion of the VKM panel that the formulation studies may be used together with corresponding studies with the active ingredients as long as the studies compared are performed and evaluated according to the same principles. However, VKM notes that the formulation tests as well as the tests of the active ingredients have been performed at high pH values, which are not representative to most Norwegian surface waters. Thus, the toxic effect of dithianon shown in these tests are likely to be lower than expected under typical conditions in Norway. On the assessment factors for concentration addition in fish: It is the opinion of the VKM panel that a reduction in assessment factor for one component in a mixture cannot be used for a formulation containing components for which a similar reduction has not been accepted. On effect studies of active substances and formulations on non-target arthropods: The VKM panel shares the view of KemI that the risk assessment should be based on all available information, including the studies presented for the active substances. On the endpoint in earthworm risk assessment: VKM supports the view of KemI that the observed effects of pyrimethanil on reproduction of earthworms should be considered in the risk assessment of Malakite.

scholarly journals Presence of pharmaceutical compounds in groundwater with respect to land use in the vicinity of sampling sites

Geologos ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 231-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Kuczyńska
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Ground Water ◽  
Groundwater Monitoring ◽  
Monitoring Network ◽  
Antimicrobial Drugs ◽  
Sources Of Pollution ◽  
Groundwater Samples ◽  
Land Use Types ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Active Substances

Abstract The present paper discusses the results of an analysis of the impact of land use on the distribution of pharmaceuticals in groundwater samples collected during a pilot study of the contents of pharmaceuticals and hormones in ground-water taken from the national groundwater monitoring network of the Polish Geological Institute - National Research Institute. Samples were collected during monitoring campaigns from 160 groundwater monitoring sites in various land use types in 2016 and 2017. Samples were analysed for a total of 34 active substances, including natural and synthetic oestrogen hormones, cardiovascular and respiratory medications, analgesics and anti-inflammatories, antidepressants, antimicrobial drugs and anti-epileptics. Our study confirmed the presence of pharmaceuticals in 53 per cent of ground-water samples taken. Data show variations in the distribution of pharmaceuticals depending on land use type, which can thus be employed in pressure analysis and identification of sources of pollution.

Anomalously low electrostatic bending stiffness of graphene oxide 2D membranes regulates its environmental fate in aquatic ecosystems

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamad Ali Sanjari Shahrezaei ◽  
Seyed Mohammad-Reza Taheri ◽  
Hesam Nikfazan ◽  
Alexandra Satalov ◽  
Mohsen Moazzami Gudarzi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Graphene Oxide ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
Aquatic Ecosystems ◽  
Environmental Fate ◽  
2D Materials ◽  
Bending Stiffness ◽  
High Importance

Though deemed to be of high importance for the determination of environmental impact of 2D materials upon their release into surface waters, control over the conformational engineering of atomically thin...

scholarly journals Integrating Life Cycle Assessment into the Framework of Environmental Impact Assessment for Urban Systems: Framework and Case Study of Masdar City, Abu Dhabi

Environments ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (9) ◽  
pp. 105
Author(s):  
Kavya Madhu ◽  
Stefan Pauliuk
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessment ◽  
Urban Expansion ◽  
Desert Ecosystem ◽  
Abu Dhabi ◽  
Urban Systems ◽  
Analysis Tool

Planning urban expansion under the interconnected Sustainable Development Goals requires a systemic analysis of its environmental impacts. The benefits of integrating the widely used system analysis tool life cycle assessment (LCA) into the planning process tool environmental impact assessment (EIA) are described in the literature. However, not many applications of such an integration have been conducted. The aim of this study is to refine the framework for integrating LCA into the process of EIA and to apply this framework to an example of urban expansion: Masdar City in Abu Dhabi. The integrated framework builds on the complementarity between the scope and assessment steps of the tools and assesses the impacts for the areas of protection: human health, ecosystem, and resources. The framework is then applied to the vehicles, buildings, and infrastructure in the city’s first development phase (DP1). Major environmental stressors include the loss of existing desert ecosystem and the utilization of non-renewable sources of energy at various development stages of DP1. Substituting natural gas-based electricity with solar power could potentially save 46% of current carbon emissions. To mitigate the land transformation impacts, construction of “close-to-nature” artificial habitats, and increased use of low-carbon fuels is suggested.

Comparison of environmental impact and energy efficiency of desalination processes by LCA

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 246-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. M. Tarnacki ◽  
T. Melin ◽  
A. E. Jansen ◽  
J. van Medevoort
Keyword(s):  
Energy Source ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessment ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Waste Heat ◽  
Assessment Methods ◽  
Analysis Tool ◽  
Great Opportunity ◽  
The Impact

In this study two desalination technologies have been compared by means of LCA with the focus on energy supply with a variety of scenarios based on different assumptions. The studied technologies are reverse osmosis and the newly developed technology Memstill where electrical energy demand is reduced by using external thermal energy source and use of chemicals is reduced. The scenarios are chosen to simulate different locations of sea water desalination plants and to demonstrate the impact of energy demand and energy source, chemical use and longer components' life times on the environment. The results show the dominant impact of energy demand on the overall results for all applied environmental impact assessment methods; transports, material and even chemical use are of negligible impact on the total score. The use of waste heat in case of Memstill offers a great opportunity to reduce the negative environmental impacts related to energy use. As the LCA analysis tool the GaBi software has been applied with the Ecoindicator99, CML 2001 and Ecopoints environmental impact assessment methods.

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