Pesticide mixtures in the Swedish streams: environmental risks, contributions of individual compounds and consequences of single-substance oriented risk mitigation

10.7287/peerj.preprints.2779 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Mikael B Gustavsson ◽

Jenny Kreuger ◽

Mirco Bundschuh ◽

Thomas Backhaus

Keyword(s):

Environmental Risk ◽

Risk Mitigation ◽

Freshwater Ecosystems ◽

Concentration Addition ◽

Risk Quotient ◽

Worst Case ◽

Pesticide Mixture ◽

Pesticide Mixtures ◽

Single Substance ◽

Kaplan Meier

This paper presents the ecotoxicological assessment and environmental risk evaluation of complex pesticide mixtures occurring in freshwater ecosystems in southern Sweden. The evaluation is based on exposure data collected between 2002 and 2013 by the Swedish pesticide monitoring program and includes 1308 individual samples, detecting mixtures of up to 53 pesticides (modal=8). Pesticide mixture risks were evaluated using three different scenarios for non-detects (best-case, worst-case and using the Kaplan-Meier method). The risk of each scenario was analyzed using Swedish Water Quality Objectives (WQO) and throphic-level specific environmental thresholds. Using the Kaplan-Meier method the environmental risk of 73% of the samples exceeded acceptable levels, based on an assessment using Concentration-Addition and WQOs for the individual pesticides. Algae were the most sensitive organism group. However, analytical detection limits, especially for insecticides, were insufficient to analyze concentrations at or near their WQO’s. Thus, the risk of the analyzed pesticide mixtures to crustaceans and fish is systematically underestimated. Treating non-detects as being present at their individual limit of detection increased the estimated risk by a factor 100 or more, compared to the best-case or the Kaplan-Meier scenario. Pesticide mixture risks are often driven by only 1-3 compounds. However, the risk-drivers (i.e., individual pesticides explaining the largest share of potential effects) differ substantially between sites and samples, and 83 of the 141 monitored pesticides need to be included in the assessment to account for 95% of the risk at all sites and years. Single-substance oriented risk mitigation measures that would ensure that each individual pesticide is present at a maximum of 95% of its individual WQO, would also reduce the mixture risk, but only from a median risk quotient of 2.1 to a median risk quotient of 1.8. Also, acceptable total risk levels would still be exceeded in more than 70% of the samples.

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Pesticide mixtures in the Swedish streams: environmental risks, contributions of individual compounds and consequences of single-substance oriented risk mitigation

10.7287/peerj.preprints.2779v2 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Mikael B Gustavsson ◽

Jenny Kreuger ◽

Mirco Bundschuh ◽

Thomas Backhaus

Keyword(s):

Environmental Risk ◽

Risk Mitigation ◽

Freshwater Ecosystems ◽

Concentration Addition ◽

Risk Quotient ◽

Worst Case ◽

Pesticide Mixture ◽

Pesticide Mixtures ◽

Single Substance ◽

Kaplan Meier

This paper presents the ecotoxicological assessment and environmental risk evaluation of complex pesticide mixtures occurring in freshwater ecosystems in southern Sweden. The evaluation is based on exposure data collected between 2002 and 2013 by the Swedish pesticide monitoring program and includes 1308 individual samples, detecting mixtures of up to 53 pesticides (modal=8). Pesticide mixture risks were evaluated using three different scenarios for non-detects (best-case, worst-case and using the Kaplan-Meier method). The risk of each scenario was analyzed using Swedish Water Quality Objectives (WQO) and throphic-level specific environmental thresholds. Using the Kaplan-Meier method the environmental risk of 73% of the samples exceeded acceptable levels, based on an assessment using Concentration-Addition and WQOs for the individual pesticides. Algae were the most sensitive organism group. However, analytical detection limits, especially for insecticides, were insufficient to analyze concentrations at or near their WQO’s. Thus, the risk of the analyzed pesticide mixtures to crustaceans and fish is systematically underestimated. Treating non-detects as being present at their individual limit of detection increased the estimated risk by a factor 100 or more, compared to the best-case or the Kaplan-Meier scenario. Pesticide mixture risks are often driven by only 1-3 compounds. However, the risk-drivers (i.e., individual pesticides explaining the largest share of potential effects) differ substantially between sites and samples, and 83 of the 141 monitored pesticides need to be included in the assessment to account for 95% of the risk at all sites and years. Single-substance oriented risk mitigation measures that would ensure that each individual pesticide is present at a maximum of 95% of its individual WQO, would also reduce the mixture risk, but only from a median risk quotient of 2.1 to a median risk quotient of 1.8. Also, acceptable total risk levels would still be exceeded in more than 70% of the samples.

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Predictive ecological risk assessment of pesticide mixtures in Mediterranean porous aquifers

ARPHA Conference Abstracts ◽

10.3897/aca.1.e30125 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 1 ◽

Author(s):

Tiziana Di Lorenzo ◽

Marco Cifoni ◽

Barbara Fiasca ◽

Alessia Di Cioccio ◽

Diana Galassi

Keyword(s):

Ecological Risk ◽

Concentration Addition ◽

Toxicity Data ◽

Model Species ◽

Risk Quotient ◽

Environmental Concentration ◽

Pesticide Mixtures ◽

Abruzzo Region ◽

Effect Concentration ◽

Porous Aquifers

The ecological risk assessment (ERA) of chemical substances is based on the premise that the protection of the most sensitive taxon safeguards the overall community. Given the severe scarcity of ecotoxicological data concerning groundwater species, we felt urged to consider epigean model species’ sensitivity data to determine the safe pesticide concentrations for obligate groundwater dwelling species. To this end, we performed the ERA of pesticide mixtures occurring in eleven Mediterranean porous aquifers (Abruzzo region; central Italy). The evaluation was based on data collected between 2010 and 2015 by the environmental protection agency of Abruzzo region (ARTA Abruzzo) and included 42 pesticides and 1953 samples. We applied a step-wise procedure: we used the Measured Environmental Concentration (MEC); we estimated the Predicted No-Effect Concentration (PNEC) and we established the ecological risk as Risk Quotient (RQ) based on the ∑MECi/PNECi ratio following a concentration addition model for mixtures’ toxicity. we used the Measured Environmental Concentration (MEC); we estimated the Predicted No-Effect Concentration (PNEC) and we established the ecological risk as Risk Quotient (RQ) based on the ∑MECi/PNECi ratio following a concentration addition model for mixtures’ toxicity. The PNEC was regarded as the concentration below which a harmful effect will most likely not occur to the groundwater dwelling fauna. The toxicity data used to compute the PNEC values were obtained from the US. EPA ECOTOX database confining the search to epigean crustaceans. Missing toxicity data were estimated by ECOSAR v.1.11. PNEC values were calculated by dividing the lowest short-term L(E)C50 value (that refers to the concentration at which 50% of its maximal effect was observed in test species) by appropriate assessment factors (AF). The AF values were selected according to the difference in the sensitivities of groundwater and epigean crustaceans derived from the available studies. Groundwater crustacean species were generally less sensitive to acute exposure to chemicals than the model species Daphnia magna. However, they were more sensitive than their epigean relatives when the comparisons were made among organisms sharing the same family/order. This result suggests caution when inferring the sensitivity of groundwater species from that of epigean taxa. The ecological risk was scored using a binary ecological classification suggesting that appreciable risk is likely when RQ≥1. Pesticide mixture risks were often driven by a minimum of 2 to 11 compounds in the eleven aquifers of Abruzzo region. However, the risk-drivers (i.e., individual pesticides explaining the largest share of potential effects) differed substantially among the aquifers. The results of this study have been published by Di Lorenzo et al. (2018).

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Environmental impact assessment and control of pharmaceuticals: the role of environmental agencies

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2008.816 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 57 (1) ◽

pp. 91-97 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

N.E. Adler ◽

J. Koschorreck ◽

B. Rechenberg

Keyword(s):

Environmental Impact ◽

Environmental Risk ◽

Ethinyl Estradiol ◽

Risk Mitigation ◽

Mitigation Measures ◽

Management Options ◽

Federal Environment Agency ◽

Environment Agency ◽

And Control ◽

Environmental Agencies

In 2005, the new legislation for pharmaceuticals came into effect. Since then environmental risk assessments are required for all new marketing authorisation applications. The German Federal Environment Agency has been assessing the environmental impact of 136 veterinary and 134 human pharmaceuticals. The authorisation of pharmaceuticals has shown that the authorisation of some groups of substances have to be combined with risk mitigation measures. Environmental risks may also arise from those pharmaceuticals which were authorised before the environmental risk assessment was added to the requirements of authorisation. Four examples of “existing” pharmaceuticals, i.e. diclofenac, ethinyl estradiol, ivermectin, and florfenicol are highlighted in this article. Risk management options for veterinary and human pharmaceuticals are discussed.

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Pesticide mixtures in the Swedish streams: Environmental risks, contributions of individual compounds and consequences of single-substance oriented risk mitigation

The Science of The Total Environment ◽

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.04.122 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 598 ◽

pp. 973-983 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

Mikael Gustavsson ◽

Jenny Kreuger ◽

Mirco Bundschuh ◽

Thomas Backhaus

Keyword(s):

Risk Mitigation ◽

Environmental Risks ◽

Pesticide Mixtures ◽

Single Substance

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Risk Mitigation Measures: An Important Aspect of the Environmental Risk Assessment of Pharmaceuticals

Toxics ◽

10.3390/toxics2010035 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 35-49 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Markus Liebig ◽

Carolin Floeter ◽

Thorsten Hahn ◽

Wolfgang Koch ◽

Andrea Wenzel ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Assessment ◽

Environmental Risk ◽

Environmental Risk Assessment ◽

Risk Mitigation ◽

Mitigation Measures

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A geo-chemo-mechanical study of a highly polluted marine system (Taranto, Italy) for the enhancement of the conceptual site model

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-82879-w ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

F. Cotecchia ◽

C. Vitone ◽

F. Sollecito ◽

M. Mali ◽

D. Miccoli ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Environmental Risk ◽

Risk Mitigation ◽

Holistic Approach ◽

Mitigation Measures ◽

Site Model ◽

Cooperative Approach ◽

Research Fields ◽

Mechanical Study ◽

Marine System

AbstractThe paper presents the results of the analysis of the geo-chemo-mechanical data gathered through an innovative multidisciplinary investigation campaign in the Mar Piccolo basin, a heavily polluted marine bay aside the town of Taranto (Southern Italy). The basin is part of an area declared at high environmental risk by the Italian government. The cutting-edge approach to the environmental characterization of the site was promoted by the Special Commissioner for urgent measures of reclamation, environmental improvements and redevelopment of Taranto and involved experts from several research fields, who cooperated to gather a new insight into the origin, distribution, mobility and fate of the contaminants within the basin. The investigation campaign was designed to implement advanced research methodologies and testing strategies. Differently from traditional investigation campaigns, aimed solely at the assessment of the contamination state within sediments lying in the top layers, the new campaign provided an interpretation of the geo-chemo-mechanical properties and state of the sediments forming the deposit at the seafloor. The integrated, multidisciplinary and holistic approach, that considered geotechnical engineering, electrical and electronical engineering, geological, sedimentological, mineralogical, hydraulic engineering, hydrological, chemical, geochemical, biological fields, supported a comprehensive understanding of the influence of the contamination on the hydro-mechanical properties of the sediments, which need to be accounted for in the selection and design of the risk mitigation measures. The findings of the research represent the input ingredients of the conceptual model of the site, premise to model the evolutionary contamination scenarios within the basin, of guidance for the environmental risk management. The study testifies the importance of the cooperative approach among researchers of different fields to fulfil the interpretation of complex polluted eco-systems.

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A Conflict between Traditional Flood Measures and Maintaining River Ecosystems? A Case Study Based upon the River Lærdal, Norway

Water ◽

10.3390/w13141884 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (14) ◽

pp. 1884

Author(s):

Ana Juárez ◽

Knut Alfredsen ◽

Morten Stickler ◽

Ana Adeva-Bustos ◽

Rodrigo Suárez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Remote Sensing Data ◽

Freshwater Ecosystems ◽

River Channel ◽

Flood Mitigation ◽

Mitigation Measures ◽

Flood Events ◽

Protection Measures ◽

River Ecosystems ◽

Hydraulic Models

Floods are among the most damaging of natural disasters, and flood events are expected to increase in magnitude and frequency with the effects of climate change and changes in land use. As a consequence, much focus has been placed on the engineering of structural flood mitigation measures in rivers. Traditional flood protection measures, such as levees and dredging of the river channel, threaten floodplains and river ecosystems, but during the last decade, sustainable reconciliation of freshwater ecosystems has increased. However, we still find many areas where these traditional measures are proposed, and it is challenging to find tools for evaluation of different measures and quantification of the possible impacts. In this paper, we focus on the river Lærdal in Norway to (i) present the dilemma between traditional flood measures and maintaining river ecosystems and (ii) quantify the efficiency and impact of different solutions based on 2D hydraulic models, remote sensing data, economics, and landscape metrics. Our results show that flood measures may be in serious conflict with environmental protection and legislation to preserve biodiversity and key nature types.

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Travel Demand Prediction during COVID-19 Pandemic: Educational and Working Trips at the University of Padova

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13126596 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (12) ◽

pp. 6596

Author(s):

Riccardo Ceccato ◽

Riccardo Rossi ◽

Massimiliano Gastaldi

Keyword(s):

Travel Demand ◽

Risk Mitigation ◽

Great Part ◽

Mitigation Measures ◽

Sustainable Mobility ◽

New Normal ◽

Logistic Regression Models ◽

Demand Prediction ◽

Travel Decisions ◽

The University

The diffusion of the COVID-19 pandemic has induced fundamental changes in travel habits. Although many previous authors have analysed factors affecting observed variations in travel demand, only a few works have focused on predictions of future new normal conditions when people will be allowed to decide whether to travel or not, although risk mitigation measures will still be enforced on vehicles, and innovative mobility services will be implemented. In addition, few authors have considered future mandatory trips of students that constitute a great part of everyday travels and are fundamental for the development of society. In this paper, logistic regression models were calibrated by using data from a revealed and stated-preferences mobility survey administered to students and employees at the University of Padova (Italy), to predict variables impacting on their decisions to perform educational and working trips in the new normal phase. Results highlighted that these factors are different between students and employees; furthermore, available travel alternatives and specific risk mitigation measures on vehicles were found to be significant. Moreover, the promotion of the use of bikes, as well as bike sharing, car pooling and micro mobility among students can effectively foster sustainable mobility habits. On the other hand, countermeasures on studying/working places resulted in a slight effect on travel decisions.

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