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At least 1,279 records · Page 71Linked to original sources
PubMed2005

Hepatic retinoids of bullfrogs in relation to agricultural pesticides.

Agricultural pesticides often have been cited as a factor affecting indigenous amphibian populations, but possible effects of pesticides and other factors associated with agricultural practices are understood poorly. Adult bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) were collected within the Yamaska River basin (Quebec, Canada) in subwatersheds representing low, medium, and high agricultural activities and 53 pesticides were analyzed in surface water. More pesticides were detected in subwatersheds associated with high agricultural activities like Rivière Noire and Rivière à la Barbue and pesticide concentrations were higher compared to the other study sites. Female and male body weights differed between sites. In the case of males, body weight was significantly less at Rivière à la Barbue. Liver retinol stores were decreased significantly in male bullfrogs from Rivière Noire, although total retinyl esters concentrations varied between sites having the highest concentration at Yamaska-Nord where the agricultural activity was considered low. The ratio of hepatic retinyl palmitate to retinol tended to be higher for male bullfrogs from Rivière Noire and Rivière à la Barbue. These results suggest that factors associated with intensive agricultural practices may affect the body weight and retinoid stores in male bullfrogs living in these agroecosystems.

Agriculture↗
PubMed2006

Organochlorine compounds (polychlorinated biphenyls and pesticides) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in populations of Hexaplex trunculus affected by imposex in the lagoon of Venice, Italy.

Concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were measured in gastropods from the Lagoon of Venice, Italy. The visceral coil and the rest of the soft body of organisms (Hexaplex trunculus) sampled at two stations inside the lagoon and three stations on the seaward side were analyzed to evaluate their contamination levels. Preferential accumulation of PCBs and pesticides in the visceral coil (>80%) compared with the rest of the soft body was observed, whereas on average, PAHs showed no preferential partitioning. Differences between levels of organochlorine contaminants in the gastropods highlighted a gradient of pollution from the stations inside the lagoon (PCBs, 45-363 ng/g; pesticides, 4-51 ng/g) to the sea (PCBs, 13-131 ng/g; pesticides, 2-29 ng/g). The possible role of the three classes of contaminants, in addition to that of organotin compounds (OTCs), previously analyzed in the same samples, in causing one of the anatomic modifications because of imposex in this gastropod also was studied. A modeling approach by partial least squares (PLS) in latent variables was applied to explain the penis length of imposex-affected females with concentrations of organic pollutants. The synergistic role of PCBs, pesticides, and OTCs was evidenced, whereas the contribution of PAHs appeared to be very low.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Aquatic macroinvertebrates in the altes land, an intensely used orchard region in Germany: Correlation between community structure and potential for pesticide exposure.

To assess the impact of pesticides on aquatic organisms under realistic worst-case conditions, a macroinvertebrate community of small ditches was sampled at 40 sites of the orchard region Altes Land near Hamburg, Germany. To differentiate between pesticide impact and other variables, the ditches selected for sampling were located at different distances along grassland, unused apple orchards, and orchards managed with integrated and/or organic crop protection methods. Samples of macroinvertebrates were taken on five dates over two years. In addition to biological data, water chemistry and structural parameters were measured. For each sampling site, a potential for exposure was calculated on the basis of the distance of the ditch to the nearest row of trees and the depth and width of the ditch. The neighborhood to either grassland or orchards turned out to have a larger impact on the macroinvertebrate community than the potential for exposure. Therefore, grassland sites were omitted from further evaluation. Remaining sites were grouped into low exposure (sites at unused orchards), medium exposure (distance of 3-5 m [track] between trees and ditch), and high exposure (trees close to the ditch, mean distance < or = 1.5 m). Principal response curves showed differences in community structure between the three exposure groups over time. Whereas for sites from the high exposure group significant differences from low exposure was observed in all seasons, significant differences between low and medium were observed only occasionally. Effects were less pronounced in samples taken at springtime before the starting pesticide applications, suggesting some community recovery. Species richness was negatively correlated to exposure potential. Isopoda, Eulamellibranchiata, and insects, especially Ephemeroptera, showed a high negative correlation with the potential for pesticide exposure, suggesting that these taxa are sensitive to the pesticide use in the orchards.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Toxicity of six pesticides to common frog (Rana temporaria) tadpoles.

Amphibian species inhabiting agricultural areas may be exposed to pesticides during their aquatic larval phase. We tested the toxicity of six commonly used pesticides on Rana temporaria spawn and tadpoles. In acute tests, tadpoles were exposed to relatively high concentrations of azoxystrobin, cyanazine, esfenvalerate, MCPA ([4-chloro-2-methylphenoxy] acetic acid), permethrin, and pirimicarb for 72 h. Chronic exposure tests were performed from fertilization to metamorphosis with azoxystrobin, cyanazine, and permethrin at concentrations similar to those found in surface waters in agricultural areas in Sweden. The most lethal pesticides in the acute exposure were azoxystrobin, permethrin, and pirimicarb. Also, negative effects on the growth of the tadpoles were observed with azoxystrobin, cyanazine, and permethrin. The chronic exposure at lower pesticide concentrations did not result in increased mortality or impaired growth. However, we found a positive effect of permethrin on growth and size at metamorphosis. The results suggest that the examined pesticides can inflict strong negative effects at high concentrations but have no or relatively weak effects on R. temporaria spawn or tadpoles at concentrations found in Swedish surface waters.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

A pesticide surface water mobility index and its relationship with concentrations in agricultural drainage watersheds.

An index to benchmark pesticide mobility relevant to surface water runoff and soil erosion (surface water mobility index, or SWMI) was derived based on two key environmental fate parameters: degradation half-life and organic carbon-normalized soil/water sorption coefficient (Koc). Values assigned with the index of each individual compound correlate well with the concentration trend of 13 pesticides monitored in six Lake Erie, USA, tributaries from 1983 to 1991. Regression using a power function of SWMI fits concentration data well at various percentiles in the database for each tributary and all six tributaries combined, with r2 ranging from 0.71 to 0.94 for the concentrations at the 95th percentile. Good agreement was also obtained between SWMI and the time-weighted annual mean concentrations (r2 = 0.67-0.87). Although concentrations at or near peaks tend to be driven by rare hydrological events (intense precipitation immediately after application), SWMI explains the peak concentration data generally well (r2 = 0.53-0.86). The SWMI-concentration relationship was further evaluated with two other pesticide monitoring databases: the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Assessment Program White River Study Unit (1991-1996) at Hazelton, Indiana, USA, and the Syngenta (previously Novartis) Voluntary Monitoring Program with Community Water Systems at the Higginsville City Lake, Missouri, USA (1995-1997). The ability of the proposed SWMI to discriminate pesticide runoff mobility and its correlation with surface water monitoring data can be significant in the development of screening methodologies and data-based models for government agencies and/or practitioners in general facing increasing pressure to assess pesticide occurrence in aquatic environments.

Absorption↗
PubMed2005

Ecological effects of pesticide use in The Netherlands: modeled and observed effects in the field ditch.

This study addresses the potential risks to the aquatic ecosystem posed by pesticides currently used in The Netherlands. The study used a novel method to predict aquatic exposure to pesticides based on a geographic information system (GIS) map of agricultural land use, comprising 51 crops used in open-canopy areas. Through the application of species-sensitivity distributions for aquatic organisms, in combination with rules for mixture-toxicity calculation, the modeled exposure results were transformed to risk estimates for aquatic species. The majority of the predicted risks were caused by pesticides applied to potato cropland, and approximately 95% of the predicted risk was caused by only 7 of the 261 pesticides currently used in The Netherlands. For risk verification, local toxic-risk estimates were compared with observed species composition in field ditches. The field verification study was not able to draw firm conclusions regarding the predicted impact of pesticide use on overall biodiversity. A toxicity-related shift from sensitive to more tolerant or opportunistic species could be observed for a few species.

Agriculture↗
PubMed2004

Human testing of pesticides: ethical and scientific considerations.

I reviewed ethical and scientific aspects of 6 human pesticide-dosing studies submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for consideration during the pesticide reregistration process. All had serious ethical or scientific deficiencies-or both-including unacceptable informed consent procedures, unmanaged financial conflicts of interest, inadequate statistical power, inappropriate test methods and endpoints, and distorted results. Given today's knowledge of the effects of pesticides, there is no assurance that any such study can be completely free of short-term risks, long-term risks, or both. Therefore, there is no basis for allowing pesticide studies to continue or for using them during the pesticide reregistration process. An EPA committee that is free from political and financial conflicts of interest should review this practice.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2005

Determination of pesticide residues by GC-MS using analyte protectants to counteract the matrix effect.

An analytical method was developed to determine pesticides of various chemical classes in soil, juice and honey using analyte protectants to counteract the enhancement of the chromatographic response produced by the presence of matrix components (matrix effect). This effect was more pronounced for soil and honey samples than for juice samples; regarding the pesticide chemical class, organochlorine pesticides were less affected by the presence of matrix components than triazines and organophosphorus pesticides. Several analyte protectants (2,3-butanediol, L-gulonic acid gamma-lactone, corn oil and olive oil) were tested for counteracting the observed matrix effect. L-Gulonic acid gamma-lactone was an effective protecting agent for most of the pesticides studied in soil and honey samples, whereas olive oil was very effective for juice samples. The combination of these two protectants was found to be an effective analyte protectant for all compounds in soil and honey samples.

Beverages↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Risk assessment of pesticide runoff from turf.

The TurfPQ model was used to simulate the runoff of 15 pesticides commonly applied to creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.) fairways and greens on golf courses in the northeastern USA. Simulations produced 100-yr daily records of water runoff, pesticide runoff, and pesticide concentration in runoff for three locations: Boston, MA, Philadelphia, PA, and Rochester, NY. Results were summarized as annual and monthly means and annual maximum daily loads (AMDLs) corresponding to 10- and 20-yr return periods. Mean annual pesticide runoff loads did not exceed 3% of annual applications for any pesticide or site, and most losses were substantially less than 1% of application. However, annual or monthly mean concentrations of chlorothalonil, iprodione, and PCNB in fairway runoff often exceeded concentrations that result in 50% mortality of the affected species (LC50) for aquatic organisms. Concentrations of azoxystrobin, bensulide, cyfluthrin, and trichlorfon in extreme (1 in 10 yr or 1 in 20 yr) events often approached or exceeded LC50 levels. Concentrations of halofenozide, mancozeb, MCPP, oxadiazon, propiconazole, thiophanate-methyl, triadimefon, and trinexapac-ethyl were well below LC50 levels, and turf runoff of these chemicals does not appear to be hazardous to aquatic life in surface waters.

Agrostis↗
PubMed2006

Mapping ground water vulnerability to pesticide leaching with a process-based metamodel of EuroPEARL.

To support EU policy, indicators of pesticide leaching at the European level are required. For this reason, a metamodel of the spatially distributed European pesticide leaching model EuroPEARL was developed. EuroPEARL considers transient flow and solute transport and assumes Freundlich adsorption, first-order degradation and passive plant uptake of pesticides. Physical parameters are depth dependent while (bio)-chemical parameters are depth, temperature, and moisture dependent. The metamodel is based on an analytical expression that describes the mass fraction of pesticide leached. The metamodel ignores vertical parameter variations and assumes steady flow. The calibration dataset was generated with EuroPEARL and consisted of approximately 60,000 simulations done for 56 pesticides with different half-lives and partitioning coefficients. The target variable was the 80th percentile of the annual average leaching concentration at 1-m depth from a time series of 20 yr. The metamodel explains over 90% of the variation of the original model with only four independent spatial attributes. These parameters are available in European soil and climate databases, so that the calibrated metamodel could be applied to generate maps of the predicted leaching concentration in the European Union. Maps generated with the metamodel showed a good similarity with the maps obtained with EuroPEARL, which was confirmed by means of quantitative performance indicators.

Adsorption↗
PubMed2002

Effects of safety behaviours with pesticide use on occurrence of acute symptoms in male and female tobacco-growing Malaysian farmers.

The effects of safety behaviours associated with pesticide use on the occurrence of acute organ symptoms in 395 male and 101 female tobacco-growing farmers in Malaysia were studied. We used a 15-questionnaire checklist on safe pesticide-use behaviours and a 25-questionnaire checklist on acute organ symptoms reported shortly after spraying pesticides. Results of stepwise multiple linear regression analysis indicated that no smoking while spraying, good sprayer-condition, and changing clothes immediately after spraying significantly prevented occurrence of acute symptoms just after pesticide spray in male farmers; in female farmers, only wearing a hat while spraying significantly prevented the symptoms. Safety behaviours in pesticide use in male and female tobacco-growing farmers are discussed in the light of these findings.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1988

The cytology and biochemistry of pesticide microbiology.

Widespread use of pesticides has no doubt benefited human beings in one way or another. However, their side effects on various organisms, including nontarget organisms, are largely overlooked. In the recent past, several studies have been done to assess the effects of pesticides on nontarget organisms, including microorganisms. Although pesticide effects on growth parameters of microorganisms have been extensively reviewed, little attention has been paid regarding their cytological and biochemical aspects. Therefore, the present work is mainly concerned with the cytological and biochemical aspects of pesticide microbiology. The effects of pesticides on photosynthesis, respiration, proteins, and nucleic acids are reviewed. Attention is also paid to their effects on cell morphology and morphogenesis and their effect on cell constituents.

Bacteria↗
PubMed2004

An evaluation of residual organochlorine pesticides in popular Indian herbal teas.

Herbal preparations are gaining popularity worldwide because of their history of use and the belief that they are free of harmful side effects. Among the most popular products are herbal teas, which are marketed extensively with emphasis on their medicinal properties. At the same time, the World Health Organization has been emphasizing the need for quality assurance of herbal products, including testing for inadvertent contamination. The authors conducted a quality-assurance evaluation of residual organochlorine pesticides in some popular brands of Indian herbal teas. Organochlorine pesticide residue build-up from agricultural or storage practices was estimated with gas-liquid chromatography. The results revealed scant presence of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) or its metabolites; endosulfan--a highly toxic pesticide--was absent in all 8 brands of herbal teas studied. Hexachlorocyclohexane isomers were detected in 2 samples, but levels were below the permissible limit for pesticide residue in foods, as promulgated by the Codex Alimentarius Commission. The authors believe that all herbal preparations should be checked for toxic chemical residues to allay consumer fears of exposure to known neurotoxicant pesticides and to aid in promoting global acceptance of these products.

Community Participation↗
PubMed2002

[Study on the determination of pesticide residues in crops by ion-trap GC/MS/MS].

Ion-trap GC/MS/MS was evaluated for the multi-residue determination of pesticides in agricultural products. Matrices were extracted from samples (spinach, carrot, onion and brown rice) with acetone and submitted to gel permeation chromatography, followed by a clean-up step through a graphite carbon cartridge. Thirty-five pesticides were added to either matrix, and analyzed by GC/MS/MS. Detection limits of pesticides by GC/MS/MS was almost the same as those by GC/MS (SIM). Coefficients of variation of peak area in 5 measurements of each pesticide at 0.1 microgram/mL or 0.05 microgram/mL with or without matrices were mostly acceptable, though those of 20 pesticides out of 35 were higher than 10% at a concentration of 0.02 microgram/mL. It was indicated that matrix artifacts, which interfere with GC/MS-Scan analysis, could be eliminated in some cases by using GC/MS/MS.

Crops, Agricultural↗
PubMed2002

Determination of seventeen pesticide residues in agricultural products by LC/MS.

Residues of 17 pesticides in agricultural products were determined by LC/MS with an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) interface in both positive and negative ion modes. Pesticides were extracted with acetonitrile, and the extracts were cleaned-up with a primary and secondary amine (PSA) mini-column eluted with acetone-hexane (1:1). Rice, orange and potato were spiked with the 17 pesticides at 0.1 microgram/g and analyzed by the proposed method. The average recoveries of these pesticides usually ranged from 70 to 98% and the relative standard deviations were usually around 10%. These results suggested that LC/MS with APCI could be used to determine the residue levels of the 17 pesticides in these crops.

Crops, Agricultural↗
PubMed2003

[An experimental proficiency test for ability to screen 104 residual pesticides in agricultural products].

An experimental proficiency test program for ability to screen 104 residual pesticides in agricultural products has been conducted. Eight Japanese laboratories joined the program. Items tested in the present study were limit of detection, internal proficiency test (self spike) and external proficiency test (blind spike). All 104 pesticides were well detected and recovered from agricultural foods in the internal proficiency test. However, the results of the external proficiency test did not completely agree with those of the internal proficiency tests. After 5 rounds of the blind spike test, the ratio of the number of correctly detected pesticides to that of actually contained ones (49 total) ranged from 65% to 100% among laboratories. The numbers of mistakenly detected pesticides by a laboratory were 0 to 15. Thus, there was a great difference among the laboratories in the ability to screen multiresidual pesticides.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Farming, pesticide use and hairy-cell leukemia.

OBJECTIVES: This paper analyzes the role of farming and pesticide exposures in the occurrence of hairy-cell leukemia (HCL). METHODS: The study included 226 men with HCL and 425 matched hospital referents. Pesticide exposure was assessed by expert review of detailed interview data on occupational histories and agricultural activities and exposures. RESULTS: Altogether, 77 cases and 116 referents had farmed for at least six months, giving an odds ratio (OR) of 1.5 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.0-2.2]. Forage growing was reported by 20.8% of the cases and 11.1% of the referents and was associated with HCL (OR 2.8, 95% CI 1.6-4.9), even among farmers who had never handled pesticides (OR 3.4, 95% CI 1.0-11.0). A significant association was found between HCL and pesticide use, the overall odds ratios for insecticide, fungicide, and herbicide use ranging from 1.5 to 2.4. Organophosphorus insecticides were the only agrochemicals with a positive association with HCL after other pesticide exposures, smoking, and forage growing were accounted for. A clear-cut negative interaction was found between smoking and exposure to organophosphorus insecticides. A multivariate analysis yielded odds ratio estimates of 2.8 (95% CI 1.4-5.6) for exposure to forage and 7.5 (95% CI 0.9-61.5) for nonsmokers exposed to organophosphorus insecticides. CONCLUSIONS: The present study argues for a role of organophosphorus insecticides in HCL among nonsmoking farmers and shows an unexpected association with forage growing. No evidence of an association with phenoxyacetic acids, triazines, or organochlorine insecticides was found.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Experts' subjective assessment of pesticide exposure in fruit growing.

OBJECTIVES: Exposure to pesticides in fruit growing was estimated by pesticide experts, occupational hygienists, and fruit growing experts to determine whether valid subjective assessments can be made by experts. The study objectives were (i) validation of exposure assessment by experts using different sources of information, (ii) assessment of interrater agreement, (iii) measurement of agreement between experts' assessments and actual quantitative exposure data. METHODS: Three groups with different expertise made four ratings. Three of the ratings were made in three phases in which exposure information was provided. RESULTS: The intraclass correlation was high for each subgroup of experts when tasks in fruit growing were relatively ranked by increasing exposure level. In general, the interrater agreement on factors influencing the internal dose decreased when more information on exposure was provided. Experts correctly considered dermal exposure as the prominent contributor to internal dose. Results were comparable for the three pesticides under study. The ranking of 15 specific sprayings with a fungicide clearly showed differences between raters according to their expertise. The pesticide experts and occupational hygienists were able to rank daily exposure levels during pesticide spraying in a meaningful way. CONCLUSIONS: Experts seem to recognize the most important determinants of external exposure and therefore should be able pay a role in evaluating the effectiveness of control measures taken to reduce external exposure and to determine exposure groups in epidemiologic studies. The expert panel should not be too small, and consensus or average estimates should be used because differences within expert groups can be considerable.

Agriculture↗