Pesticide residues in European sediments: : a significant concern for the aquatic systems?

Khurshid, Chrow (author), Silva, Vera (author), Gai, Lingtong (author), Osman, Rima (author), Polić Pasković, Marija (author), Glavan, Matjaž (author), Hofman, Jakub (author), Huerta-Lwanga, Esperanza (author), Ritsema, Coen J. (author), Geissen, Violette (author)

The presence of pesticide residues in waterbed sediments poses a significant concern for aquatic ecosystems’ health. This study examined pesticide contamination in sediments of 38 water bodies, embedded in agriculturaldominated regions, across eight European countries. Three indicators were targeted: occurrence, type, and concentrations of multiple pesticide residues in sediments. 196 pesticide residues (including degradation products) were tested in the sediment samples. The analytical results showed that only one sample was ‘pesticidefree’, three samples contained a single pesticide residue, and the remaining 34 samples contained mixtures of residues. Overall, 99 different residues were found in the sediments, with a maximum of 48 in a single sample. Twenty-seven out of the 99 detected residues were not approved for agricultural use at the time of sampling. The numbers of detected residues and pesticide levels varied among countries. AMPA, glyphosate and DDTs were the most common residues in sediment samples with frequencies of 76, 61, and 52%, respectively. The sediments from the Czech Republic had the highest pesticide concentrations, with total pesticide concentrations ranging between 600 and 1200 μg kg$^{−1}$. The lowest total pesticide concentrations were found in Slovenia, Switzerland, Croatia, and Denmark, ranging between 80 and 120 μg kg$^{−1}$. Sediments presented a mix of non-persistent and persistent compounds. Twelve of the detected pesticides are very persistent/stable in sediments, raising concerns about the long-term impacts of pesticides. Our study on the distribution of pesticide residues in European sediments provides valuable insights into the extent of pesticide contamination and possible risks of pesticides to water bodies’ health. It also underlines the need for monitoring, research, and policy efforts to mitigate the impacts of pesticides, and to evaluate potential risks of re-use of dredged sediments.

• Language: English
• Keywords: SPRINT project, monitoring program, agricultural diffuse contamination, waterbed sediments, persistency of pesticide residues
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: BF - Biotechnical Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2024
• Number of pages: 9 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 261, art. no.ǂ 119754
• UDC: 502.1
• ISSN on article: 0013-9351
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.119754
• COBISS.SI-ID: 206479363
• Publication date in RUL: 05.09.2024

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Environmental research : multidisciplinary journal of environmental sciences, ecology, and public health
• Shortened title: Environ. res.
• Publisher: Academic Press
• ISSN: 0013-9351
• COBISS.SI-ID: 3951911

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: ostanki fitofarmacevtskih sredstev, program spremljanja, pesticidi, fitofarmacevtska sredstva, obstojnost pesticidnih ostankov