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Airborne pesticide residues along the Mississippi River

Environmental Science & Technology
By: , , , and 
https://doi.org/10.1021/es9802403

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Abstract

The occurrence, concentration, and geographical distribution of agricultural pesticides were determined in air over the Mississippi River from New Orleans, LA, to St. Paul, MN, during the first 10 days of June 1994. Air samples were collected from a research vessel by pulling air through polyurethane foam plugs at about 100 L/min for up to 24 h. Each sample was analyzed for 42 pesticides and 3 pesticide transformation products. Twenty-five compounds15 herbicides, 7 insecticides, and 3 pesticide transformation productswere detected in one or more samples with concentrations ranging from 0.05 to 80 ng/m3. Alachlor, chlorpyrifos, diazinon, fonofos, malathion, methyl parathion, metolachlor, metribuzin, pendimethalin, and trifluralin were detected in 80% or more of the samples. The highest concentrations for chlorpyrifos (1.6 ng/m3), diazinon (0.36 ng/m3), and malathion (4.6 ng/m3) all occurred near major metropolitan areas. These samples represent a “snapshot in time”, a spatial and temporal integration of which pesticides were present in the air during each sampling period. The occurrence and atmospheric concentrations of the observed pesticides were most closely related to their use on cropland within 40 km of the river.

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Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Airborne pesticide residues along the Mississippi River
Series title Environmental Science & Technology
DOI 10.1021/es9802403
Volume 32
Issue 23
Year Published 1998
Language English
Publisher ACS Publications
Contributing office(s) California Water Science Center, National Water Quality Laboratory, Toxic Substances Hydrology Program
Description 10 p.
First page 3689
Last page 3698
Country United States
Other Geospatial Mississippi River
Google Analytic Metrics Metrics page
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