08
Aug
Eighty Pesticides Detected in the Air of Rural Agricultural Area
(Beyond Pesticides, August 8, 2025) In a study published in Environmental Pollution, researchers have detected eighty pesticides (35 insecticides, 29 fungicides, and 11 herbicides, and metabolites) in the ambient air of a rural region of Spain (Valencia) between 2007 and 2024. Despite these dramatic findings, the authors conclude that there is “no [observable] cancer risk,†“no inhalation risk for adults,†and only one pesticide concentration (the insecticide chlorpyrifos) showing “a potential risk to toddlers.†However, the authors did not conduct an aggregate risk assessment that would typically consider all routes of exposure to the individual pesticides detected, including through water, food, and landscapes.
Not considered by the authors are the potential effects of pesticide mixtures and full pesticide product formulations (with all potentially toxic ingredients), also a deficiency in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registration of pesticides under federal law. Of concern, as well, are other contaminants in pesticide products, including but not limited to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), heavy metals, plastics (including microplastics), which contribute to chronic diseases and health risks, and adverse effects to ecosystem stability exacerbated by the climate crisis.
Background and Methodology
“This work aims to conduct a further study on the situation of pesticides in ambient air of a rural Mediterranean Region, describing spatial and temporal variations in pesticide uses, as well as a human health risk assessment based on pesticide inhalation exposure,†according to the study authors. They gathered 717 air samples at 12 locations in the rural agricultural region of Valencia, with nine sites considered “rural/agricultural,†two “urban†sites, and one remote site that serves as a control for this experiment. The researchers used three different sampling protocols over the 18-year-long study. Between 2007 and 2016, they used high-volume air samplers to capture particulate phase samples on a daily basis; meanwhile, between 2016 and 2024, they used low-volume samplers to gather particulate and gaseous phase (to account for volatilization) samples on a weekly basis. The third protocol (2008-2009) was supplementary sampling at four stations to capture gaseous phase samples that were previously missing. Since atmospheric pesticide presence can be detected in both the particulate and gaseous phases, the researchers were careful to capture both in their study.
The authors are based at CEAM Foundation (“a research, development and technological innovation center for the improvement of the environment in the Mediterranean areaâ€), Research Institute for Pesticides and Water at Jaume I University, and Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research in the Valencia Region. They “declare[d] that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.†They received funding from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries (Spain), with some of the analytical support being “financed by the European Commission under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Operational Programme of the Valencia Region (2014–2020).â€
Discussion and Results
The researchers targeted 120 pesticides in this study, with 80 different insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, acaricides, and metabolites detected:
- 35 insecticides were detected. (Chlorfenvinphos, Abamectin, Chlorpyrifos-methyl, Spinosad, Diphenylamine, Chlorpyrifos-ethyl, Dichlorvos, Methidathion, Hexythiazox, Ethoprophos, Omethoate, Pyriproxyfen, Acetamiprid, Alpha-Endosulfan, Beta-Endosulfan, Bendiocarb, Bifenthrin, Buprofezin, Carbofuran, Cypermethrin, Deltamethrin, Diazinon, Dimethoate, Dioxacarb, Fenazaquin, Fenthion, Fipronil, Flufenoxuron, Imidacloprid, Lambda-cyhalothrin, Malathion, Permethrin, Pirimicarb, Pirimicarb-desmethyl, Propargite, Spirotetramat, Tebufenpyrad, and Thiamethoxam.)
- 29 fungicides were detected. (Azoxystrobin, Benalaxyl-M, Bitertanol, Boscalid, Carbendazim, Chlorothalonil, Cyproconazole, Cyprodinil, Diphenylamine, Fenbuconazole, Fludioxonil, Flusilazole, Folpet, Imazalil, Iprodione, Iprovalicarb, Kresoxim-m, Metalaxyl, Myclobutanil, O-Phenylphenol, Penconazole, Prochloraz, Pyrimethanil, Tebuconazole, Thiabendazole, Triadimefon, Tricyclazole, Triflumizole, and Vinclozolin.)
- 11 herbicides were detected. (Benfluralin, Chlorpropham, Dichlobenil, Diuron, Endothal, Fluazifop, Glyphosate, Propachlor, Propanil, Terbuthylazine and Trifluralin.)
- 5 additional pesticides and metabolites were detected. (Prohexadione, Terbuthylazine-2-OH, Terbuthylazine-desethyl, Terbuthylazine-desethyl-2-OH, and Endosulfan-sulphate.)
“The ten most frequently detected pesticides were spirotetramat (83 %), glyphosate (65 %), terbuthylazine-desethyl-2-OH (59 %), metalaxyl (56 %), carbendazim and pyriproxyfen (51 %), omethoate (46 %), spinosad (44 %), terbuthylazine (44 %), and chlorpyrifos-ethyl (43 %),†says the authors. There were significant declines in detectable carbendazim, omethoate, and terbuthylazine, which the authors believe correlate with European Union bans or restrictions.
There are various limitations to this study, including that there was no risk assessment included for subgroups that face disproportionate risks, including pregnant individuals. As mentioned earlier, this study was also not comprehensive in that it did not detect potential contamination or exposure via soil, water (surface or groundwater), dietary intake, and bioaccumulation. That being said, it is significant in that it is considered the first long-term (more than 15 years) regional study of pesticide air monitoring in the Mediterranean.
Previous Research
Pesticide residues are being found in increasingly remote locations across the globe. Documented for the first time, 15 currently used pesticides (CUPs) and four metabolites (breakdown or transformation products—TP) were found in the deep marine atmosphere over the Atlantic Ocean. Three legacy (banned) pesticides were also discovered. According to the recent study published in Environmental Pollution, researchers found empirical evidence for pesticide drift over remarkably long distances to remote environments. (See Daily News here.)
People face multiple avenues of pesticide exposure and may be unwittingly subject to multiple exposures even if they do not live or work in agricultural areas/professions. A study published in Environmental Science and Technology found that there are 47 current-use pesticides—products with active ingredients that are currently registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) —detected in samples of indoor dust, drinking water, and urine from households in Indiana. (See Daily News here.) There are other peer-reviewed studies documenting the presence of pesticide residues in indoor dust samples. A large European study of house dust contaminants, published in Science of the Total Environment, finds more than 1,200 anthropogenic compounds, including numerous organophosphates, the phthalate DEHP, PCBs, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products, in indoor dust samples. Additionally, an Argentine study centered around households with nonagricultural workers found that all dust samples contained mixtures, averaging 19 pesticides per sample and with a maximum of 32 per sample. Twelve pesticides were detected in more than 75 percent of the samples. Imidacloprid, carbaryl, glyphosate, and atrazine were detected in all samples. Seven of the 49 are used as both agricultural and veterinary or household pest compounds. (See Daily News here.)
It is also critical that studies are conducted specifically on pregnant individuals. In a first-of-its kind series of biomonitoring studies published in Agrochemicals, researchers identified the presence of the herbicides dicamba and 2,4-D in all pregnant participants from both cohorts in 2010-2012 and 2020-2022.  “The overall level of 2,4-D use (kilograms applied in one hundred thousands) in the U.S. was highest in 2010 for wheat, soybeans, and corn. The amount of 2,4-D applied increased the most for soybeans and corn from 2010 to 2020.†The researchers focused on the states of Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, given the increase in dicamba and 2,4-D during the study period for both cohorts (2010-2022). (See Daily News here.) A comprehensive literature review in Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety links a heightened risk of spontaneous abortion (SAB) with pesticide exposure. “The strengths of our study include being the first systematic review and meta-analysis to explore the association between exposure to pesticides and the risk of SAB,†the authors say. This novel approach incorporated the analysis of 18 studies, totaling 439,097 pregnant participants, that allowed the researchers to highlight an important public health issue and raise concerns for maternal contact with the harmful chemicals in pesticide products. (See Daily News here.) Ongoing exposure to pesticide residues in indoor and outdoor environments poses broader neurodevelopmental consequences for children. A study in Environment International finds that young children who exhibit higher levels of pesticide metabolites in their urine show more pronounced neurobehavioral problems at the age of ten. (See Daily News here.)
Call to Action
Communities across the nation are speaking out to elected officials on the threat of aerial pesticide spraying to their loved ones. Earlier this year in 2025, protests were held in various California counties (see Inside Climate News and KSBW8 Action News) over the controversial continued use of the carcinogenic 1,3-Dichloropropene (1,3-D) in spite of its ban in over 40 countries and links to cancer. Communities in Oregon have mobilized for years against the aerial spraying of pesticides into public lands, including Lincoln County, which faced a setback to local control of pesticide use when a court ruled against a pesticide ordinance due to preemption language codified in state law in previous sessions. (See Daily News here.) Protests this year in Iowa and North Dakota were organized as their state legislatures voted on preempting the ability for victims of pesticide exposure to sue manufacturers for misleading labels that fail to warn of health risks. (See Daily News here.)
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All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides.
Source: Environmental Pollution
