Abstract

Environmental monitoring of pesticides in Sweden started during the mid-1980s. Today’s monitoring programme includes intensive sampling from four small rivers draining catchments of 8-16 km2 dominated by arable land. Water samples are time integrated and analysed for approximately 80 substances representing a majority of the pesticides applied in the area. Results from the beginning of the 1990s revealed concentrations of up to 200 µg/l for single pesticides, sometimes with high concentrations as a result of accidental spillages. During recent years concentrations in stream water have decreased by more than 90%, even though the amounts of pesticides used in the area have not decreased. The reduction in concentration was a result of information campaigns directed to farmers in the area and political measures. Today most samples have a total concentration of pesticides below two micrograms per litre. An index was applied in an attempt to compare potential toxicity for the aquatic organisms between the catchments and over the years. Today the main transport pathway for pesticides is assumed to be through the soil profile and thus differences in pesticide behaviour in relation to their intrinsic properties can be addressed. Using multiple linear regression it was possible to find significant functions explaining up to 99% of the variability of pesticide leaching for individual years

Keywords

monitoring; leaching; point sources; toxicity index; pesticide properties

Published in

Book title: Environmental Fate and Ecological Effects of Pesticides
ISBN: 978-88-7830-473-4

Conference

XIII Symposium Pesticide Chemistry - Environmental Fate and Ecological Effects

SLU Authors

• Adielsson, Stina

  • Department of Soil Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Törnquist, Mirja

  • Department of Soil Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Kreuger, Jenny

  • Department of Soil Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Environmental Sciences related to Agriculture and Land-use
Fish and Aquacultural Science


Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/15677