A substantial analysis on pesticides in the aquatic environment in the Netherlands reports on the Dutch position but also has implications for other countries. It looks at 103 active ingredients in use-40% of these had not previously been monitored in water, and 80% were detected. Major conclusions were:
A survey of 48 breakdown products of 26
pesticides showed that many of these, particularly from carbamate or
organophosphate groups, were more toxic than the parent chemical.
For half the toxicity data examined, the
values found in the scientific literature were lower than the values used
for registration-in other words, the pesticides are now found to be more
toxic than assumed at the time of registration.
Although nematicides were the group of pesticides found most in water, the highest risk came from insecticides.
Information was lacking on their effects
in water of 90% of the pesticides studied.
1996 Aquatic Outlook. An analysis of
issues pertaining to aquatic environments-Pesticides. H.G.K.
Teunissen-Ordelman & S.M. Schrap, RIZA Policy Document 97.038, Institute for
Inland Water Management and Waste Water Treatment (RIZA), Lelystad, Netherlands,
May 1997, 232 pp.
[This
article first appeared in Pesticides News No. 37,
September 1997, page 17]