Understanding the pathways, pollution and potential solutions pertaining to pesticides: Circular engineering for persistent chemicals

Abstract

This paper offers a comprehensive examination of the global footprint of pesticides consumption, revealing the disproportionate usage in high-income countries and highlighting the severe environmental and health risks posed by chemicals such as organochlorines and organophosphates. While numerous studies have been conducted on assessing the fate and transport of pesticides in the natural environment in developed nations, however, there is pressing need for similar research in developing regions, within South-East Asia, Latin America, and the African Union. Due to the cumulative nature of pesticides and the duration of exposure, it was expected that biota would show higher average, minimum, and maximum concentrations, along with increased variability. Water appears to be slightly more contaminated than sediment, but the most concerning revelation is the prevalence of pesticides in the air. Emphasizing the urgency of sustainable practices, the paper proposes microcosmic understanding on the degradation of pesticides, their contribution to antimicrobial resistance, and the development of environmentally friendly alternatives.