Citation:

Oliver, S., S. Corsi, A. Baldwin, M. Nott, G. Ankley, B. Blackwell, D. Villeneuve, M. Hladik, D. Kolpin, L. Loken, L. DeCicco, M. Meyer, AND K. Loftin. Pesticide Prioritization by Potential Biological Effects in Tributaries of the Laurentian Great Lakes. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY. Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Pensacola, FL, 42(2):367-384, (2023). https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.5522

Impact/Purpose:

Surface waters in the Great Lakes watershed are impacted by human activities. Pesticides in particular are commonly detected in Great Lakes tributaries, but the potential effects of these pesticides is unclear. To better understand potential impacts associated with pesticides in these sstems, a combination of traditional toxicity estimates (in vivo benchmarks) and data from high-throughput screening assays (in vitro benchmarks) were used to evaluate the potential adverse effects of pesticides in streams at 16 tributaries in the Great Lakes Basin. Pesticides had the greatest potential biological impact on the site with the greatest proportion of agricultural land use in its basin (i.e., Maumee River), with 72 parent compounds or transformation products being detected, 47 of which exceeded at least one benchmark value. This study highlights the utility of combining contaminant surveillance with high-throughput screening and traditional toxicity estimates to prioritize locations and chemicals of concern, and to anticipate potential apical biological effects of contaminant exposures in surface waters.

Description:

Watersheds of the Great Lakes Basin (USA/Canada) are highly modified and impacted by human activities including pesticide use. Despite labeling restrictions intended to minimize risks to nontarget organisms, concerns remain that environmental exposures to pesticides may be occurring at levels negatively impacting nontarget organisms. We used a combination of organismal-level toxicity estimates (in vivo aquatic life benchmarks) and data from high-throughput screening (HTS) assays (in vitro benchmarks) to prioritize pesticides and sites of concern in streams at 16 tributaries to the Great Lakes Basin. In vivo or in vitro benchmark values were exceeded at 15 sites, 10 of which had exceedances throughout the year. Pesticides had the greatest potential biological impact at the site with the greatest proportion of agricultural land use in its basin (the Maumee River, Toledo, OH, USA), with 72 parent compounds or transformation products being detected, 47 of which exceeded at least one benchmark value. Our risk-based screening approach identified multiple pesticide parent compounds of concern in tributaries of the Great Lakes; these compounds included: eight herbicides (metolachlor, acetochlor, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, diuron, atrazine, alachlor, triclopyr, and simazine), three fungicides (chlorothalonil, propiconazole, and carbendazim), and four insecticides (diazinon, fipronil, imidacloprid, and clothianidin). We present methods for reducing the volume and complexity of potential biological effects data that result from combining contaminant surveillance with HTS (in vitro) and traditional (in vivo) toxicity estimates.

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