Spatial-temporal distribution and potential risk of pesticides in ambient air in the North China Plain

Mingyu Zhao; Junxue Wu; Daniel M Figueiredo; Yun Zhang; Ziyu Zou; Yuxuan Cao; Jingjing Li; Xue Chen; Shuping Shi; Zhiyun Wei; Jindong Li; Hongyan Zhang; Ercheng Zhao; Violette Geissen; Coen J Ritsema; Xuejun Liu; Jiajun Han; Kai Wang

doi:10.1016/j.envint.2023.108342

Spatial-temporal distribution and potential risk of pesticides in ambient air in the North China Plain

Mingyu Zhao, Junxue Wu^*, Daniel M Figueiredo, Yun Zhang, Ziyu Zou, Yuxuan Cao, Jingjing Li, Xue Chen, Shuping Shi, Zhiyun Wei, Jindong Li, Hongyan Zhang, Ercheng Zhao, Violette Geissen, Coen J Ritsema, Xuejun Liu, Jiajun Han^*, Kai Wang^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

The intensive use of pesticides in the North China Plain (NCP) has resulted in widespread contamination of pesticides in the local atmosphere, posing risks to air quality and human health. However, the occurrence and distribution of atmospheric pesticides in the NCP as well as their risk assessment have not been well investigated. In this study, 300 monthly samples were collected using passive air samplers with polyurethane foam at ten rural sites with different crop systems in Quzhou county, the NCP, from June 2021 to May 2022. The pesticides were quantified using mass-spectrometric techniques. Our results revealed that chlorpyrifos, carbendazim, and atrazine were the most frequently found pesticides in the air samples, with detection frequencies of ≥ 87 % across the samples. The average concentrations of atmospheric pesticides during spring (7.47 pg m-3) and summer (16.05 pg m-3) were significantly higher than those during autumn (2.04 pg m-3) and winter (1.71 pg m-3), attributable to the intensified application of pesticides during the warmer seasons. Additionally, cash crop sites exhibited higher concentrations (10.26 pg m-3) of atmospheric pesticides compared to grain crop (5.59 pg m-3) and greenhouse sites (3.81 pg m-3), primarily due to more frequent pesticides spraying events in cash crop fields. These findings indicate a distinct spatial-temporal distribution pattern of atmospheric pesticides influenced by both seasons and crop systems. Furthermore, the model-based inhalation risk assessment indicates that inhalation exposure to atmospheric pesticides is unlikely to pose a significant public concern.

Original language	English
Article number	108342
Number of pages	10
Journal	Environment International
Volume	182
Early online date	23 Nov 2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2023.108342
Publication status	Published - Dec 2023

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Author(s)

Funding

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 42207125 and No. 42107002); The State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology is affiliated with the Institute of Earth Environment in the Chinese Academy of Sciences (SKLLQG214); Professor station of China Agricultural University at Xinzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention; the High-level Team Project of China Agricultural University; Yunnan Provincial Major Science and Technology Special Project (202102AE090030); the China Scholarship Council (No. 201913043).

Funders	Funder number
China Agricultural University at Xinzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Yunnan Provincial Major Science and Technology Special Project	202102AE090030
National Natural Science Foundation of China	42107002, 42207125
China Agricultural University
Chinese Academy of Sciences	SKLLQG214
China Scholarship Council	201913043

Keywords

Atmospheric pesticides
Crop systems
Health risk assessment
North China Plain
Spatial-temporal distribution

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1016/j.envint.2023.108342Licence: CC BY-NC-ND

1-s2.0-S0160412023006153-mainFinal published version, 3.26 MBLicence: CC BY-NC-ND

Cite this

Zhao, M., Wu, J., Figueiredo, D. M., Zhang, Y., Zou, Z., Cao, Y., Li, J., Chen, X., Shi, S., Wei, Z., Li, J., Zhang, H., Zhao, E., Geissen, V., Ritsema, C. J., Liu, X., Han, J., & Wang, K. (2023). Spatial-temporal distribution and potential risk of pesticides in ambient air in the North China Plain. Environment International, 182, Article 108342. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2023.108342

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title = "Spatial-temporal distribution and potential risk of pesticides in ambient air in the North China Plain",

abstract = "The intensive use of pesticides in the North China Plain (NCP) has resulted in widespread contamination of pesticides in the local atmosphere, posing risks to air quality and human health. However, the occurrence and distribution of atmospheric pesticides in the NCP as well as their risk assessment have not been well investigated. In this study, 300 monthly samples were collected using passive air samplers with polyurethane foam at ten rural sites with different crop systems in Quzhou county, the NCP, from June 2021 to May 2022. The pesticides were quantified using mass-spectrometric techniques. Our results revealed that chlorpyrifos, carbendazim, and atrazine were the most frequently found pesticides in the air samples, with detection frequencies of ≥ 87 % across the samples. The average concentrations of atmospheric pesticides during spring (7.47 pg m-3) and summer (16.05 pg m-3) were significantly higher than those during autumn (2.04 pg m-3) and winter (1.71 pg m-3), attributable to the intensified application of pesticides during the warmer seasons. Additionally, cash crop sites exhibited higher concentrations (10.26 pg m-3) of atmospheric pesticides compared to grain crop (5.59 pg m-3) and greenhouse sites (3.81 pg m-3), primarily due to more frequent pesticides spraying events in cash crop fields. These findings indicate a distinct spatial-temporal distribution pattern of atmospheric pesticides influenced by both seasons and crop systems. Furthermore, the model-based inhalation risk assessment indicates that inhalation exposure to atmospheric pesticides is unlikely to pose a significant public concern.",

keywords = "Atmospheric pesticides, Crop systems, Health risk assessment, North China Plain, Spatial-temporal distribution",

author = "Mingyu Zhao and Junxue Wu and Figueiredo, {Daniel M} and Yun Zhang and Ziyu Zou and Yuxuan Cao and Jingjing Li and Xue Chen and Shuping Shi and Zhiyun Wei and Jindong Li and Hongyan Zhang and Ercheng Zhao and Violette Geissen and Ritsema, {Coen J} and Xuejun Liu and Jiajun Han and Kai Wang",

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year = "2023",

month = dec,

doi = "10.1016/j.envint.2023.108342",

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AU - Zhao, Mingyu

AU - Wu, Junxue

AU - Figueiredo, Daniel M

AU - Zhang, Yun

AU - Zou, Ziyu

AU - Cao, Yuxuan

AU - Li, Jingjing

AU - Chen, Xue

AU - Shi, Shuping

AU - Wei, Zhiyun

AU - Li, Jindong

AU - Zhang, Hongyan

AU - Zhao, Ercheng

AU - Geissen, Violette

AU - Ritsema, Coen J

AU - Liu, Xuejun

AU - Han, Jiajun

AU - Wang, Kai

PY - 2023/12

Y1 - 2023/12

N2 - The intensive use of pesticides in the North China Plain (NCP) has resulted in widespread contamination of pesticides in the local atmosphere, posing risks to air quality and human health. However, the occurrence and distribution of atmospheric pesticides in the NCP as well as their risk assessment have not been well investigated. In this study, 300 monthly samples were collected using passive air samplers with polyurethane foam at ten rural sites with different crop systems in Quzhou county, the NCP, from June 2021 to May 2022. The pesticides were quantified using mass-spectrometric techniques. Our results revealed that chlorpyrifos, carbendazim, and atrazine were the most frequently found pesticides in the air samples, with detection frequencies of ≥ 87 % across the samples. The average concentrations of atmospheric pesticides during spring (7.47 pg m-3) and summer (16.05 pg m-3) were significantly higher than those during autumn (2.04 pg m-3) and winter (1.71 pg m-3), attributable to the intensified application of pesticides during the warmer seasons. Additionally, cash crop sites exhibited higher concentrations (10.26 pg m-3) of atmospheric pesticides compared to grain crop (5.59 pg m-3) and greenhouse sites (3.81 pg m-3), primarily due to more frequent pesticides spraying events in cash crop fields. These findings indicate a distinct spatial-temporal distribution pattern of atmospheric pesticides influenced by both seasons and crop systems. Furthermore, the model-based inhalation risk assessment indicates that inhalation exposure to atmospheric pesticides is unlikely to pose a significant public concern.

AB - The intensive use of pesticides in the North China Plain (NCP) has resulted in widespread contamination of pesticides in the local atmosphere, posing risks to air quality and human health. However, the occurrence and distribution of atmospheric pesticides in the NCP as well as their risk assessment have not been well investigated. In this study, 300 monthly samples were collected using passive air samplers with polyurethane foam at ten rural sites with different crop systems in Quzhou county, the NCP, from June 2021 to May 2022. The pesticides were quantified using mass-spectrometric techniques. Our results revealed that chlorpyrifos, carbendazim, and atrazine were the most frequently found pesticides in the air samples, with detection frequencies of ≥ 87 % across the samples. The average concentrations of atmospheric pesticides during spring (7.47 pg m-3) and summer (16.05 pg m-3) were significantly higher than those during autumn (2.04 pg m-3) and winter (1.71 pg m-3), attributable to the intensified application of pesticides during the warmer seasons. Additionally, cash crop sites exhibited higher concentrations (10.26 pg m-3) of atmospheric pesticides compared to grain crop (5.59 pg m-3) and greenhouse sites (3.81 pg m-3), primarily due to more frequent pesticides spraying events in cash crop fields. These findings indicate a distinct spatial-temporal distribution pattern of atmospheric pesticides influenced by both seasons and crop systems. Furthermore, the model-based inhalation risk assessment indicates that inhalation exposure to atmospheric pesticides is unlikely to pose a significant public concern.

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KW - Crop systems

KW - Health risk assessment

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KW - Spatial-temporal distribution

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JF - Environment International

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ER -

Spatial-temporal distribution and potential risk of pesticides in ambient air in the North China Plain

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

UN SDGs

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