Use of nuclear and related techniques in studies of agroecological effects resulting from the use of

127 Pages·2002·8.22 MB·English

IAEA-TECDOC-1116
Uf sone ucld erneaalr ated techniques
in studief oas groecological effects
frpoees rueslsitsiunteg ne fthrotm
pesticides in Central America
Repoa r ffoti nal Research Co-ordination Meeting
oerghatn iyzbed
Joint FAO/IAEA Divisf iNoonu clear Techniqu n dFeAinso goaridc ulture
d nhaeldn iP anama City, Panama, 20-24 April 1998
INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGEN>AC/ Y
September 1999
3 0 - 40
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F NOU ECSLUD ERNAEARL ATED TECHNIQUEN SSIT UDIFEOS
AGROECOLOGICAL EFFECTS REFSUOL TEINSGU FERHOTM
PERSISTENT PESTICIDES IN CENTRAL AMERICA
IAEA, VIENNA, 1999
IAEA-TECDOC-1116
ISSN 1011-4289
©IAEA, 1999
Printed by the IAEA in Austria
September 1999
FOREWORD
The use of pesticides for the control of pests of agriculture and vectors of human and
animal diseasese ht ni countriesf o Central Americae ht si highestr ep capitae ht fo eno dna most
intensee ht ni world. Theree ra reportsf o acute toxicityd na chronic effects among farm
workers. There are also reports that pesticide residues in food frequently exceed the Codex
Alimentarius Commission's maximum residue levels (MRLsd ns)a hipmentf sof oodstuffs have
been rejecty eibmd porting e chpotru eonstet erniu fecdoese xcessive residu feops esticides.
Pestie cairdlaseos ime cpholtinc tanatmeidi naf tiocoon nti dnecnnoataas ltal weahteTrs .
indiscrif mpoei snetasicutei des woe ueblxd pecto eatdl so aggravate pest probley mabds versely
affecting populations of beneficial arthropods and causing the development of resistance in pest
populations.
The Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture initiated
a co-ordinated research project hi 1992 to generate information on residues of pesticides in the
environment, their persistence under local conditionsd na effectn o local speciesf o beneficial
arthropon dias gricultud nraaadl jacent e ahcrtoe nauisn trif eoCs entral America. Such
information co eui ehumlbtds pneldie mentatif oloen gislatioo cnto n etrdhoitsl treisbuu dtinoan
of pesticides and the development and application of integrated pest management programmes.
Scientists from Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and the United States of
America participaten dtih is project.
This TECDOC ree phatoc ncrotos mplishme hpetr nofotd jsen incatc lude hpetsa pers
presented at the final Research Co-ordination Meeting held in Panama City, Panama, 20-24
April 1998.
The IAEA, FAO and all participants greatly appreciate the generous support provided to
this project by the Swedish International Development Agency.
The IAEA officer responsible for this publication was M. Hussain of the Joint FAO/IAEA
Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture.
EDITORIAL NOTE
n pIreparing this publicatior onpf resse hI, Ats fEtoaAff have e mphtaa pgduee s freohmt
original manuscripts as submitted by the authors. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect
those of the IAEA, the governments of the nominating Member States or the nominating
organizations.
Throughout the text names of Member States are retained as they -were when the text was
compiled.
T ehsouef particular designations of countrier ost erritories dot eoinsm p yjnluay dgemenybt
the publisher, the IAEA, as to the legal status of such countries or territories, of their authorities and
institutions or of the delimitation of their boundaries.
The mentif oonn am foessp ecific companr iopers oducts (t woinhned trhiocears taed
registered) doet onsim py nliayn tention ot infringe proprietary rightr sosn,h oue blc dtio nstruesda
an endorsement or recommendation on the part of the IAEA.
The authors are responsible for having obtained the necessary permission for the IAEA to
reproduce, translate or use material from sources already protected by copyrights.
CONTENTS
SUMMARY OF THE CO-ORDINATED RESEARCH PROJECT.............................................. 1
PART I. MONITORING PESTICIDE RESIDUES IN
ENVIRONMENTAL SAMPLES
Pesticiden ssi urface watern sai reas influencey dbb anana productionn Ci osta Rica................51.
K Ca.. sRLCtui. lelSEop o,elrist ,
Presencf eop esticide residuen swi ater, sedimed nbnati ological samples taken
from aquatic environments in Honduras...................................................................................23
D.E. Meyer
Organochlorine pesticides in sediment and biological samples from the coastal
lagoo nnNis icaragua .................................................................................................................29
S. Montenegro, M. Lacayo, F. Picado, A. Lopez
Determination of pesticides in surface and ground water used for
human consumption in Guatemala............................................................................................41
W. Knedel, J. C. Chiquin, J. Perez, S. Resales
f sool ide pshua see hexTtraction me ratonhaoflf d yroessis idf puoeess ticides
usedn ib anana productionn iC osta Rica.................................................................................1.5
L.E. Castillo. CR, uepert, A.R. Alfaro. ES, olis
Valuation of solid phase extraction disks in the determination of pesticide residues
in surfacd ngea roundwaten riP anama......................................................................................59
V. Jimene. JRz ,ame Jodism en. eRBzo ,jas
Pesticide residue assessmenn ti three selected agricultural production systems
in the Choluteca River Basin of Honduras (Abstract) ..............................................................67
J. Kammerbauer, J. Moncada
PART II. STUDIES ON DISSIPATION AND DEGRADATION OF PESTICIDES IN
PLANTS AND SOIL
Dissipation, degradation and uptake ofI4 C-carbofuran in
a Panamanian Alfisol soil..........................................................................................................71
J.E. Gonzdlez, E.B. de Saiz, L. Gonzdlez, O. Perez, J. Ceballos
Persistencf eoe ndos sumtil dfeantana boliten tsio mato plad nsntoas il.......................................81
E. Carazo, M. Barquero, B. Valverde
A study of dissipation, degradation and binding of M C-labelled endosulfan
to soil in model lysimeter ..........................................................................................................87
J.E. Gonzdlez, J. Ceballos, A. Amor, E.B. de Saiz
PART HI. STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF PESTICIDES ON PEST INSECTS AND
BENEFICIAL ARTHROPODS
Impac fott erbufon Cos otesiaflavipea sp, arasitoi fdoD iatraea saccharalis............................101
. EVarga. BsV, alverd. EeC, arazo
Management of white flies (Bemisia tabaci) in tomato with a combination of
plastic mulchd nia nsecticidesn i Costa Rica..........................................................................llI
. CDub. iHl. LlBVoil a,jel v,e. CErdaer ,azo
Effe ehatc fpot plicationf oc hlorpyrifoo stm aizn epo esdtnsa
beneficial arthropn oNdiis caragua..........................................................................................117
. a AMLl ioeandnz ao.An ,
Susceptibility of natural enemies of pests of agriculture to commonly
applied insecticid nHeiso nduras.....................................................................................3...2...1. .
MR. Bustamante, A. Sabillon, C. Velasquez, J. Ordonez, F. Baquedano
The effect of insecticide applications to melon crop on melon aphid and
its natural enemies (Abstract)..................................................................................................129
J. Guerra, J.E. Gonzdlez, J. Ceballos, B. Checa
LIST OF PARTICIPANTS..........................................................................................................131
SUMMARY OF THE CO-ORDINATED RESEARCH PROJECT
INTRODUCTION
Central America is a region of seven countries with a combined population of 30 million
people. Agriculture is the most important sector of national economies and the driving force
behind regional economic and social development. Export of crops such as coffee, bananas,
cotton and sugar as well as cattle continue to be the cornerstone of the region's economies
Pestf osa gricultural crops, which include insects, nematodes, disease organismd nwsa eeds,
are knowo tnc ause enormous loss feops otential t yocineo lfndit, rolled. Similarly, huge
amounf ofte osl rooasd t during sto arr aesgsaf eu oaltt tay cibnk sects, rodents, bdirndas
disease organismn asId .dite iionhnste ,cts, d tmincikates s which infen csaat rmaryn idmnaals
and transmit diseases which cause immense suffering and financial losses.
Pesticide n uereaasss sseaed ntial agricultural inpo uctt ontrol pests. The ecrary edited with
alleviating some of the problems associated with food production and storage as well as
protection of the health of humans and animals against vectors of diseases. For these reasons
the use of pesticides has been increasing, especially in developing countries. In Central
America the use of pesticides is one of the heaviest in the world. The export oriented
agricultu frtoeh is regs ibaoehnc ome heavily dependent upon capd tinetaacl hnology intensive
production strategies, which emphasise short term economic growth, paying little attentioont
longer term sustaina fbpoe ihehl ieesTtatsyivu .cs yi badheeea s rn esf uothlt is production
strategy e [ph1eT]s. ticide applicatione r hertag tnieois n increased frn roeaampv e8ra fgoe
seasoe ht n1ni 950o st ovr epes 04re ase oht n1ni 970d nsa1 980s sa pest resistancdnea
subsidised pesticn eiadx teor eptm rdiceee loe s tvheectrh ufnosoe logy.
PROBLEM
Pesticides have been deliberately developed to be toxic to some living organisms and because
of this th eesiunirv olves ris okhts umane hhetne davnlitarho nment. Excessive residuneis
foodstuffs could have deleterious acutr oel ong term eff eehhtc netosae hcltt ofhon sumers.
ehy Pabaezlassato o rimdnciootdune s- starget species. Chemeicbals napo apclrtcioepd s
washed away with re bta rdiannan sferred into groundwater orl akd enrsai ved rnfsar om there
into estuarid enhas arbours, where th yeaamyd versely affect fish, shrimd nopa ther aquatic
life [2n ]IC. entral Amerie chinta appropf opri eeao ssttueet d ciceolin dsoaehms ic losses
including high production costs andn ,i some caseso ,t unprofitable cultivation; riskot
humans, animals, beneficial insect dsna other non-target species; contaminatioehnt fo
environment, including water resources; burdene hfiton froge ign exchange with high cofsot
imported pe esrted hiajcedtnicdvf ataeeooigsro sr;tn iec euimln uttuproadradac le t products
by importing countries because of the presence of excessive pesticide residues.
There are reports of acute toxicity and chronic effects among the farm workers of Central
America from fo esu eht pesticides, including identificationf o over0 00 72 casesf o acute
poisoning in the 1980s by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). The pesticide
related illness ae mruhornatgl populace soao areme thd hor icgnetahg ppeist ta rate deuhrintg
19y 81B09s. 71 wom neGin uatemala were fouo nhtda ve 12.2 mg/f koogr ganochlorine
residues in their breast milk, 250 times higher than maximum allowable residue levels for
human consumpti nocino w's milk [3]. The earrales o reports that pesticide residun efios od
frequently exceed Codex Alimentarius maximum residue levels (MRLs) and shipments of
foodstuffs have been rejected by importing countries due to the presence of excessive residues
of pesticides. Pesticides are also implicated in the contamination of continental and coastal
waters, especially fre ohmetf fluent coming from plantatiod ncnaas using ecotoxicological
problem ehiTsn. discrimf ionp eaestsuet icides woue lbed xpecteo dta lso aggravate pest
problems by adversely effecting populations of beneficial arthropods and causing the
development of resistance in pest populations. However, not much documented information is
available on these problems.
OBJECTIVES
The short term obje echcotti- vfooersd inated research project (CRP) weo rsteu p-poocrt
ordinated studies on the environmental effects of pesticides, in particular to generate
information on residues of pesticides in the environment, their persistence under local
conditions and their effect on selected species of beneficial insects in agricultural and adjacent
areas.
The longer term objectives were to generate information which could be used in (i) the
implementaf tioloeng islaf o tpoicoeto sn e entdheid tscirhs(tiuontdi trliae i)b ds u,ntiaon
developd amnpepanli tcaf tiionotn egrated pest management programmes.
Project activities were also expectedo t resultn i improved institutional capacitiesdna
increased awarenesse ht ni region aboute ht potentialf o pesticideso t cause harm ot human
health and the environment.
APPROACH
Project activities focue hfsto enlodl owing three areas:
• Monitoring pesticide residues in water and soil/sediment.
• Study of the persistence/degradation of pesticides and their uptake by plants.
• Ste uehtdf ffoye f copt esticiden nos on-target species, especiale lbhyte neficial insects.
In addition to directing research effort towards these areas, the CRP was expected to provide
information on the following aspects:
Pesticide monitoring:
(a) Assessment of each participating laboratory's capability in analysing the pesticides under
study by chromatographic methods, including confirmatory analysis capabilities and
reproducibility of results.
(b) Inter-laboratory comparison of analytical results.
(c) Water quality eht nri egion.
(d) Identification of the principal pesticides found in the surface and ground waters of
different countries.
e hT )er( elationship between pesticides found eht niw ater with those usede ht ni area.
On the study on the environmental fate of pesticides, the project would provide information
on their persistence and metabolic profile in different areas. This type of information could
then be used by farmers to choose proper timing for planting follow-up crops, by health
authorities to protect public health, and by regulatory authorities for registration of pesticides.
Ste uhedt ffyfo ecf tops esticiden bos eneficial insects would provide informae thsitao nfone ty
eophtfe sticides euhptso ertode ntio actl ause har ombt eneficial insects. This information
would also be useful for regulatory authorities in pesticide registration and by farmers and
government authoo raitsitseu sre that pesticidM se ecysosr nmtuPaespmieaI d sti bele hwtith
practice.
THE PROJECT
The project involved twelve research conn tGria eucnatostn e, Nim ioacwlaatr, ad gtnhuara ee
ean cCih osta Rica, Hondd uPnraaasn amae .rh eFts iefvoaer ch contracts holders monitored
pesticide residues, two studied their environmental fate and metabolism, and four studied the
ef ffoepcetss ticn idobeens eficial insei chatsd ,dio tittohn ese sto uwrdeisteesa ,rch
agreements h eUohlntd ientreisd Staf tAeosm erica provided asse icshtoatn notcrtae ct holders
in the introduction in their laboratories and validation of procedures for the extraction of
pesticides from water using solid phase extraction (SPE) devices.
RESULTS
1. Monitoring pesticide residues in water and soil/sediment
Water samples from predetermined sampling locations from drainage ditches, streams and
creeks within banana plantations, lakes, lagoons, rivers, estuaries and coastal areas of these
countries were collectet dap redetermined sampling timd eansan alyser otdfa rgeted pesticides
(insecticides, fund gnihceairdbeis cides) including those e wrchauicrrh ently nuised
agriculture and some of the older organochlorine pesticides which were used in the 1980s but
are presently banned. Some samples of soil, sediment and aquatic organisms were also
analysed. The analyses did not include metabolites and degradation products, some of which
are also known to have acute and/or chronic toxicity to aquatic and/or terrestrial organisms.
Because of the warm and humid climate in these countries, fungal diseases of plants are a
major problem. Therefore a variety of fungicides are used. For example in Costa Rica
fungicide ersas prayen dob anana plantation 0t5si mesa y eay abr ircraft. Similarly, pesticides
whiche ra effective against insectss a wells a nematodes,e ht insecticides/nematocides,era
applied as ground sprays several times a year. The herbicides are also quite frequently used in
agricultus rawe s ealbl anana plantations. While despite more frequent applicateiohtn
fungicides used have low toxicity to non target species, the insecticides/nematocides are
generally more toxic, e esapqheu octamiatt ilaclsmy s oawmaregal all snisms. Therefore,
residuef sot hese compounf odg ersra eater ecologicad hnal uman health concern.
The analy fsowis ater indicated widespread contamination with pesticidn esius rface waters
from drainage ditches and creeks within the banana plantations as well as rivers, lakes,
lagoons and coastal waters. In general the fungicides were present at high levels, and
insecticides/nematocides at low levels. However, in some cases concentrations of insecticides
exceeding their acute toxicity or LC50 levels (concentration which kills 50% individuals in a
population) were also found.
In Costa Rica, water samples from drainage ditches in banana plantations and from the Rio
Suerte Basin, which receives effluent from banana plantations, contained residues of
pesticides use nodb anana plantationn sI.g eneral, they were beloe whtL C50 leverolfs
daphnia or rainbow trout, the aquatic animals commonly used as aquatic toxicity indicator
species. However, maximum concentrations of cadusafos (0.4 ug/L) and terbufos (1-2 ug/L)
in the drainage canal and creek water samples were close to their acute toxicity levels for fish.
A majority of the water samples from the Suerte river, which receives effluent from the
banana plantations, contained low level residues of cadusafos, chlorpyrifos and several other
pesticides. Since some of the pesticides were found at a high frequency, and even though their
concentrations were lowy ,c taahmuesy e chronic toxiciethyt. fCoa d%u0ss faa6ofw ounns id
water samples from the Suerte river at concentrations ranging between 0.02 and 0.40 ug/L.
The chronic toxicity reference value of this insecticide for daphnia is 0.16 ug/L, indicating
that this organism is at risk. Organophosphate (cadusafos, chlorpyrifos and terbufos) and
carbamate (carbofuran) insecticides have similar physiological action, i.e. they inhibit the
enzyme cholinestere an pahsienet si mtdicnailadse ,s wia tsh imilar physiological acntaiocn
have additive effects. This is consistent with the legal concept of risk assessment which
requires thata cumulative risk from each pesticided na from othersf o similar actioneb
lumped together for a total risk.
This information aboute ht widespread contaminationf o watern i Costa Ricaro wen ton si
surprising. It confirms similar earlier findings. In 1992 Costa Rican authorities charged the
Standard Fruit Company of USA, the major banana grower in the Valle de la Esterella, with
polluting riversd na underground water eht fo area,d na presentede ht casee ht ot International
Water Tribunn aiAl msterde ahmcTh. as ragwbea sn eodd etectiof onc hlorothalonil,
chlorpyrifos, terbufd oenats hprop pe ehstsu ftori fc%ai d8dcng8aee rn osi und water samples.
Some of the samples contained up to 40 ng/L chlorothalonil fungicide, which is close to its
LC50 value4 4 fo ug/L rof channel catfishr af ,dnaa bove eht 3-6.5 ug/L level whichs i known
to produce adverse reproductive effects in fish. The Tribunal had upheld the complaint and
ruled that the Standard Fruit Company should phase out the use of pesticides recognised as
being extremely hazardous and minimize the use of others.
Data in the present study show that chlorothalonil was present in 10% of the water samples
froe mhSt uerte rivea c rtao, ncentratiof no0 .04 ug/L. Sime ihdlta rfora l%iyn2, ad gncear eek
sampln ebis anana plantations contained chlorothaloa cn toail ncentr9 a.u0tig ofo/nL . This
indicatesf o tetshuh ieashtt fungicids aheb een reduced. Howevert i, appears that
chlorpyrifos, terbufos and cadusafos, all very toxic insecticides, are still commonly used in
banana plantations and their residues are found at a high frequency in water samples. There is
a need to find ecologically friendlier alternatives to these chemicals.
In Guatemala, surface waters were sampled along the coast from the Mexican border to the
border withl E Salvadod rnaa longe htl engt ehht lfo argest rivers that drain intoe htA tlantic
Ocean, both regions being of great agricultural activity. In addition, water samples from
lagoons, a lake and municipal water system were analysed for 38 targeted pesticides. The
pesticides most frequently found included cypermethrin, aldrin, chlordane, endrin, endosulfan,
chlorpyrifos, diazinon, azinphos methd ynmal al satimt dhnaei TotDanDb. odnlai DteDDs
DDE were also found in several water samples. Cypermethrin was found in concentrations up
to5 mg/L, whichs i alarming ni views ti fo LC50 value8 .2 fo mg/Lr of rainbow trout.
Endosulfan, used as a general purpose insecticide and in coffee plantations, was also found in
very high concentrations of up to 3.8 mg/L. This pesticide is also classified as highly toxic to
fish. This means that two of the pesticides detected in high concentrations in water put the
aquatic a lg itrfaee at risk.
Se mhotm ofsoet frequently detected pesticidn eGis uatemalae o hwnt eteosrne regulatyebd
e htGuatemalan legislation no potable water, whicn ih sfi act copied AfPrE oSUm eht
regulation of 1964. The Guatemalan water quality legislation is under review to upgrade it to