{"id":39236,"date":"2025-08-08T00:01:58","date_gmt":"2025-08-08T04:01:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/?p=39236"},"modified":"2025-08-08T11:43:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-08T15:43:08","slug":"eighty-pesticides-detected-in-the-air-of-rural-agricultural-area","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2025\/08\/eighty-pesticides-detected-in-the-air-of-rural-agricultural-area\/","title":{"rendered":"Eighty Pesticides Detected in the Air of Rural Agricultural Area"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Beyond Pesticides<\/em>, August 8, 2025) In a study published in Environmental Pollution,<\/em><\/a> 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 \u201cno [observable] cancer risk,\u201d \u201cno inhalation risk for adults,\u201d and only one pesticide concentration (the insecticide chlorpyrifos) showing \u201ca potential risk to toddlers.\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Background and Methodology<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThis 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,\u201d according to the study authors. They gathered 717 air samples at 12 locations in the rural agricultural region of Valencia, with nine sites considered \u201crural\/agricultural,\u201d two \u201curban\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

The authors are based at CEAM Foundation<\/a> (\u201ca research, development and technological innovation center for the improvement of the environment in the Mediterranean area\u201d), 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 \u201cdeclare[d] that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.\u201d They received funding from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries (Spain), with some of the analytical support being \u201cfinanced by the European Commission under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Operational Programme of the Valencia Region (2014\u20132020).\u201d<\/p>\n

Discussion and Results<\/strong><\/p>\n

The researchers targeted 120 pesticides in this study, with 80 different insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, acaricides, and metabolites detected:<\/p>\n