Environmental Concerns

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Environmental Concerns

• Montana State University
• Pesticide Safety Education Program

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What is this?
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Bhopal, India Disaster

• Union Carbide Pesticide Manufacturing Plant
• December 3rd, 1984
• 8,000 initial dead
• 15,000 more within 10 years
• 500,000 suffer injuries
• water wells near the site show overall chemical
  contamination to be 500 times higher than the
  maximum limits recommended by the World Health
  Organization.
• cancer, genetic defects (birth defects), and
  liver and kidney damage.

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Acute and Chronic Problems

• This pesticide caused blindness for many of those
  who survived.
• However, how could we have saved the lives of
  potentially 15,000 more lives from chronic
  effects of this disaster (cancer, etc..)

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How does this relate to you

• We drink well water
• 50 of Montana Citizens drink well water
• 95 of those living in agricultural communities
• Restricted Use Applicators of Major Concern in
  Montana Ag. Areas
• You are the greatest risk factor for your own
  health

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Understanding your pesticides characteristics 1

• Solubility
• Is the measure of the ability of a pesticide to
  dissolve in a solvent, usually water.
• Ex. Higher solubility ? More leaching

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Examples of solubilities of various insecticides
Chemical Water Solubility
Methyl Parathion insecticide low
Carbaryl insecticide low
PCNB fungicide very low
Disulfoton insecticide low
Malathion insecticide low
Chlorthalonil fungicide very low
Phorate insecticide low
Diazinon insecticide low
Methamidophos insecticide high
Texas AM online bulletin http//entowww.tamu.edu/
extension/bulletins/b-6050.html
 
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Understand your environment related to the
solubility of your pesticide

• Precipitation following your spray activity
• High ground water

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Understanding your pesticides characteristics 2

• Persistence
• The ability of a pesticide to remain present and
  active in its original form for an extended
  period prior to breaking down.
• Ex. Does not break down ? present at wrong sites

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Pesticide Persistence in Soils Pesticide Persistence in Soils Pesticide Persistence in Soils
Low Persistence (half-life lt30 days) Moderate Persistence (half-life 30-100 days) High Persistence (half-life gt100 days)
Aldicarb Aldrin Bromacil
Captan Atrazine Chlordane
Dalapon Carbaryl Lindane
Dicamba Carbofuran Paraquat
Malathion Diazinon Picloram
Methyl Parathion Endrin Trifluralin
Oxamyl Fonofos
2,4-D Glyphosate
2,4,5-T Heptachlor
Acie C. Waldron, Pesticides and Groundwater
Contamination, Ohio State University Extension
Bulletin 820, 1992 available at
lthttp//ohioline.ag.ohio-state.edu/b820/index.html
gt.
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Understand your environment related to the
persistence of your pesticide

• Hydrolysis The breakdown of chemicals with
  water increases in soils with a high pH.
• If gt 8.0 (highly alkaline) ? lower the pH for
  better results
• Use Buffercide, Bufferplus, Unifilm B, or Nutra
  Plus.
• Recommend water within a range of 4 7
• Microbial Action - Process by which chemicals are
  degraded by bacteria or fungi
• Photodegradation the breakdown of chemicals by
  sunlight

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Understanding your pesticides characteristics - 3

• Adsorption
• Process whereby a pesticide binds to soil
  particles.
• Occurs because of an attraction between the
  chemical and soil particles.
• Oil soluble pesticides usually bind more
• Water soluble pesticides bind less to soil
• charged pesticides bind more to charged soil.

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Understand your environment related to the
adsorption of your pesticide
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Infiltration and Texture
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Types of Soil Texture Adsorption / Infiltration
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RATE and Infiltration
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Understanding your pesticides characteristics - 4

• Volatility
• Tendency of a pesticide to turn into a gas or
  vapor.
• dividing the
• pesticide's vapor
• pressure by its water
• solubility volatility

Ex. Volatilization of a high volatile 2, 4-D
ester is 24 times greater than of a low volatile
2, 4-D ester.
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Understand your environment related to the
volatility of your pesticide

• Volatility is increased by?
• High temperature
• Ester 2, 4-D volatilization tripled with a
  temperature increase from 60 to 80 degrees.
• Wise not to spray in temperatures over 80 degrees
  F.
• Low Relative Humidity
• Increases volatilization

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Pesticide Movement Leaching Potential
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Pesticide Movement Runoff Risk
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Detected in Montana?
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Pesticide Movement Drift Risk
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What effects Drift

• High Temperatures
• Do not spray in temperatures exceeding 85 degrees
  F. Questionable over 80.
• Wind
• Do not spray in wind speeds gt8 mph
• Volatilization potential of your pesticide
• Nozzle height
• Spray droplet size

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Nozzles and Drift

• Larger diameter nozzles decrease drift!

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Overview What factors are at play in the
movement of pesticides in the environment?

• 1 Pesticide Factors
• -Solubility -Rate
• -Persistence -Volatility
• -Adsorption
• 2 Soil Characteristics
• -Shallow Ground Water
• -pH
• -Texture of Soil
• 3 Environmental Conditions
• -Precipitation -Temperature
• -Humidity -Wind

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How do we reduce risk?

• 1 Mixing Loading Locations
• 2 - Filling Tanks
• 3 Read Label

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Any Problems?
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Mixing/Loading Sites
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Watch out for Back Siphoning when Filling Tanks
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Read Label
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Picloram
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Some chemicals are labeled for use on Riparian
areas

• 2.4-D Aquatic
• Rodeo
• Banvel
• Escort, Tellar
• Krenite
• Plateau
• Roundup
• Forefront
• Milestone

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Spill What do we do?

• Stepped Concerns
• Safety (protect yourself)
• Control
• Containment
• Reporting
• Cleanup
• Clean up
• Absorbent
• Shovel
• Bags
• Emergency Contacts
• When do you call MDA?

If over 5 gallons of mixed solution or 100lb dry
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RECAP

• Remember, your family members may be the most at
  risk.
• Elderly, and children at most risk

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Local Update National Park Service Study

• DDT and Dieldrin found in many national parks
  including Glacier National Park, MT Air
  Contaminants Study
• Should we be concerned?

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No!

• DDT and other organochlorines are found around
  the world.
• DDT found in ice cores in
• antarctica
• DDT is within everyone in this
• room
• The real question is how much!

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Air Contaminants Study(Glacier National Park)

• DDT and Dieldrin delisted by the EPA in the 60s
  and 70s.
• DDT Exceeded Human Risk Threshold for subsistence
  fisherman (eating 19 meals of fish per month)
• Dieldrin Exceeded Human Risk Threshold for 2.3
  meals of fish per month.
• Chlorinated Hydrocarbon Persistence, worldwide
  distribution
• Practice Safe Use Follow Product
• Label

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Contact Information

• Montana State University
• Pesticide Safety Education Program
• www.pesticides.montana.edu