Despite a changing world in terms of data sharing, availability, and transparency, there are still major resource issues associated with collating datasets that will satisfy the requirements of comprehensive pesticide risk assessments, especially those undertaken at a regional or national scale. In 1996, a long-term project was initiated to begin collating and formatting pesticide data to eventually create a free-to-all repository of data that would provide a comprehensive transparent, harmonized, and managed extensive dataset for all types of pesticide risk assessments. Over the last 20 years, this database has been keeping pace with improving risk assessments, their associated data requirements, and the needs and expectations of database end users. In 2007, the Pesticide Properties DataBase (PPDB) was launched as a free-to-access website. Currently, the PPDB holds data for almost 2300 pesticide active substances and over 700 metabolites. For each substance around 300 parameters are stored, cover...

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An international database for pesticide risk assessments and management

Systemic insecticides are applied to plants using a wide variety of methods, ranging from foliar sprays to seed treatments and soil drenches. Neonicotinoids and fipronil are among the most widely used pesticides in the world. Their popularity is largely due to their high toxicity to invertebrates, the ease and flexibility with which they can be applied, their long persistence, and their systemic nature, which ensures that they spread to all parts of the target crop. However, these properties also increase the probability of environmental contamination and exposure of nontarget organisms. Environmental contamination occurs via a number of routes including dust generated during drilling of dressed seeds, contamination and accumulation in arable soils and soil water, runoff into waterways, and uptake of pesticides by nontarget plants via their roots or dust deposition on leaves. Persistence in soils, waterways, and nontarget plants is variable but can be prolonged; for example, the half-lives of neonicotinoids in soils can exceed 1,000 days, so they can accumulate when used repeatedly. Similarly, they can persist in woody plants for periods exceeding 1 year. Breakdown results in toxic metabolites, though concentrations of these in the environment are rarely measured. Overall, there is strong evidence that soils, waterways, and plants in agricultural environments and neighboring areas are contaminated with variable levels of neonicotinoids or fipronil mixtures and their metabolites (soil, parts per billion (ppb)-parts per million (ppm) range; water, parts per trillion (ppt)-ppb range; and plants, ppb-ppm range). This provides multiple routes for chronic (and acute in some cases) exposure of nontarget animals. For example, pollinators are exposed through direct contact with dust during drilling; consumption of pollen, nectar, or guttation drops from seed-treated crops, water, and consumption of contaminated pollen and nectar from wild flowers and trees growing near-treated crops. Studies of food stores in honeybee colonies from across the globe demonstrate that colonies are routinely and chronically exposed to neonicotinoids, fipronil, and their metabolites (generally in the 1–100 ppb range), mixed with other pesticides some of which are known to act synergistically with neonicotinoids. Other nontarget organisms, particularly those inhabiting soils, aquatic habitats, or herbivorous insects feeding on noncrop plants in farmland, will also inevitably receive exposure, although data are generally lacking for these groups. We summarize the current state of knowledge regarding the environmental fate of these compounds by outlining what is known about the chemical properties of these compounds, and placing these properties in the context of modern agricultural practices.

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Environmental fate and exposure; neonicotinoids and fipronil

O presente estudo 3 tem como tema a produção e reprodução da vida de trabalhadores migrantes temporários nordestinos da construção civil que trabalham no Campus central da Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina — UFSC, em Florianópolis/SC. Seu objetivo principal é analisar as condições de vida, trabalho, moradia e escolarização dos trabalhadores diante do crescimento das migrações na atualidade. Na pesquisa empírica foi realizado um trabalho de campo nos canteiros de obras no campus, com o propósito de identificar as empresas que prestam serviço na universidade e também quais as empresas que empregavam maior número de trabalhadores migrantes temporários nordestinos. Na coleta de dados foram realizadas entrevistas semiestruturadas com os trabalhadores migrantes e com as empresas nos canteiros de obras da universidade. A pesquisa de campo envolveu ainda conversas informais com os trabalhadores migrantes, com as empresas e registros fotográficos.

Dissertação de mestrado

Shallow groundwater affects terrestrial ecosystems by sustaining river base-flow and root-zone soil water in the absence of rain, but little is known about the global patterns of water table depth and where it provides vital support for land ecosystems We present global observations of water table depth compiled from government archives and literature, and fill in data gaps and infer patterns and processes using a groundwater model forced by modern climate, terrain, and sea level Patterns in water table depth explain patterns in wetlands at the global scale and vegetation gradients at regional and local scales Overall, shallow groundwater influences 22 to 32% of global land area, including ~15% as groundwater-fed surface water features and 7 to 17% with the water table or its capillary fringe within plant rooting depths

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/339/6122/940.full.pdf

Global patterns of groundwater table depth.

Review of the use of biosensors as analytical tools in the food and drink industries

A rapid and efficient method is described for the determination of thiabendazole and imazalil residues in lemons (peel and pulp). The procedure is based on the extraction with an hexane:ethyl acetate mixture (1:1, v/v) and gas chromatographic analysis using thermionic specific detection (TSD). The possibility of matrix effect was also studied. Mean recoveries from 8 replicates of fortified samples ranged from 79% to 109%, with relative standard deviation values between 2.4% to 12.8%. The detection and quantification limits of the method were 0.2 mg kg-1 and 0.5 mg kg-1, respectively.

/pdf/a-simple-and-rapid-extraction-for-gas-chromatographic-3273xdo0lh.pdf

A Simple and Rapid Extraction for Gas Chromatographic Determination of Thiabendazole and Imazalil Residues in Lemons

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), listed as per the Stockholm Convention (α -HCH, β -HCH, γ -HCH, p,p′-DDT, o,p′-DDT, p,p′-DDD, p,p′-DDE, aldrin, endrin, dieldrin, PCBs 28, 52, 118, 138, 153, and 180), were analyzed in municipal solid waste (MSW) compost samples from three different Brazilian composting plants located in three Sao Paulo State cities: Araras, Araraquara and Sao Paulo (Vila Leopoldinha). Quantitative and qualitative analyses were carried out using gas chromatography electron capture detection (GC-ECD) and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) (Ion Trap, electron impact ionization), respectively. The samples were analyzed in triplicate and the target POPs were not detected by GC-ECD. Twelve pollutants were identified in two samples when qualitative analysis (GC-MS) was used (β -HCH, γ -HCH, p,p′-DDT, o,p′-DDT, p,p′-DDD, and p,p′-DDE, PCBs 28, 118, 138, 153 and 180). The composting process has advantages such as urban ...

Residues of organochlorine pesticides and PCBs in some Brazilian municipal solid waste compost

Many classes of pesticides have been used to control and/or to eliminate pests, mainly in agricultural areas. Although decreases in food production have been avoided through pesticide use to combat pests that damage cultivated plants, it is important to consider that their continuous use can result in risks to human health and the environment.This study describes pesticide uses and their evaluation using environmental indicators, which could be used as a planning and policy tool by governmental agencies.

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Pesticidas: usos e riscos para o meio ambiente

Rapid method for the determination of thiabendazole and imazalil residues in orange by capillary column gas chromatography

Este trabalho estudou a adsorcao e a desorcao do herbicida acido 2,4-Diclorofenoxiacetico (2,4-D) em solo da regiao de Urbano Santos - MA. A regiao possui campos de cultivo de eucaliptos para obtencao de celulose. Para a limpeza dos campos, antes da plantacao e nos primeiros 12 meses de plantio, sao aplicados herbicidas, dentre os quais destacamos o 2,4-D. A isoterma de Freundlich foi utilizado como modelo para este estudo e a concentracao de 2,4-D foi determinada por cromatografia liquida de alta eficiencia (CLAE), acompanhada de ensaios de recuperacao para garantir a confiabilidade dos dados obtidos na investigacao de adsorcao/dessorcao. Os resultados indicaram que o 2,4-D apresenta maior adsorcao a materia orgânica do solo estudado, quando comparado a outros tipos de solo, o que pode resultar em pequena diminuicao em sua tendencia de lixiviacao e de degradacao microbiologica. Entretanto, este herbicida apresenta elevado potencial de lixiviacao quando comparado a outros pesticidas.

Maria Lúcia Ribeiro

Papers

A Simple and Rapid Extraction for Gas Chromatographic Determination of Thiabendazole and Imazalil Residues in Lemons

Residues of organochlorine pesticides and PCBs in some Brazilian municipal solid waste compost

Pesticidas: usos e riscos para o meio ambiente

Rapid method for the determination of thiabendazole and imazalil residues in orange by capillary column gas chromatography

Estudo da adsorção/dessorção de 2,4-D em solos usando técnica cromatográfica