Trends in airborne pesticides: A retrospective analysis of the last two decades (2007–2024) in a Mediterranean Region

IF 7.3 2区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Environmental Pollution Pub Date : 2025-07-07 DOI:10.1016/j.envpol.2025.126770

Antonio López , Esther Fuentes-Ferragud , Amalia Muñoz , Esther Borràs , Teresa Vera , Clara Coscollà

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Abstract

The potentially adverse effects of pesticide exposure on the general population, and particularly on the more susceptible groups (such as toddlers), are a public health concern. The present study aims to investigate the temporal and spatial fluctuations of pesticides over the past two decades in a rural Mediterranean Region of Spain (the Valencian Region). Overall, a comprehensive analysis of the ambient air revealed the presence of 80 pesticides, including 35 insecticides, 29 fungicides and 11 herbicides, among others. Concentrations detected in Mediterranean ambient air ranged from a few pg m⁻³ (1.9 for bifenthrin) to millions (1.7 × 10⁶ pg m⁻³ for malathion).

Temporal trends revealed a significant decrease in pesticide concentrations of carbendazim, omethoate and terbuthylazine, whereas others such as metalaxyl and spirotetramat exhibited an increase. The number of pesticides detected and their concentrations were, in general, higher in citrus and vineyards crops compared with other crops assessed. Risk assessment revealed no inhalation risk for adults, with HQ (Hazard Quotient) values well below the threshold level (HQ = 1). However, a single detected concentration at one of the citrus stations showed a potential risk to toddlers due to the pesticide chlorpyrifos-ethyl. Additionally, no cancer risk was observed for either of the populations studied based on average concentrations, although the maximum concentrations of omethoate exceeded the concerned level (1.0 × 10⁻⁶).

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空气中农药的趋势：地中海地区过去二十年（2007-2024年）的回顾性分析

农药接触对一般人群，特别是对易感人群（如幼儿）的潜在不利影响是一个令人关注的公共卫生问题。本研究旨在调查过去二十年来西班牙地中海农村地区（巴伦西亚地区）农药的时空波动。总体而言，对环境空气的综合分析显示，存在80种农药，其中包括35种杀虫剂，29种杀菌剂和11种除草剂等。在地中海周围空气中检测到的浓度范围从几毫克/立方米（联苯菊酯为1.9毫克/立方米）到数百万毫克/立方米（马拉硫磷为1.7 × 106毫克/立方米）。多菌灵、乐果和特丁嗪农药浓度呈显著下降趋势，甲螨灵和螺虫灵农药浓度呈上升趋势。总体而言，柑橘和葡萄园作物中检测到的农药数量和浓度高于所评估的其他作物。风险评估显示，成人没有吸入风险，危害商数（HQ）值远低于阈值水平（HQ=1）。然而，在一个柑橘站点检测到的单一浓度表明，由于农药乙基毒死蜱，幼儿可能面临风险。此外，根据平均浓度，没有观察到任何研究人群的癌症风险，尽管最大浓度超过了有关水平（1.0 x 10-6）。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Environmental Pollution 环境科学-环境科学

CiteScore

16.00

自引率

6.70%

发文量

2082

审稿时长

2.9 months

期刊介绍： Environmental Pollution is an international peer-reviewed journal that publishes high-quality research papers and review articles covering all aspects of environmental pollution and its impacts on ecosystems and human health. Subject areas include, but are not limited to: • Sources and occurrences of pollutants that are clearly defined and measured in environmental compartments, food and food-related items, and human bodies; • Interlinks between contaminant exposure and biological, ecological, and human health effects, including those of climate change; • Contaminants of emerging concerns (including but not limited to antibiotic resistant microorganisms or genes, microplastics/nanoplastics, electronic wastes, light, and noise) and/or their biological, ecological, or human health effects; • Laboratory and field studies on the remediation/mitigation of environmental pollution via new techniques and with clear links to biological, ecological, or human health effects; • Modeling of pollution processes, patterns, or trends that is of clear environmental and/or human health interest; • New techniques that measure and examine environmental occurrences, transport, behavior, and effects of pollutants within the environment or the laboratory, provided that they can be clearly used to address problems within regional or global environmental compartments.