GIS-based procedure for site-specific risk assessment of pesticides for aquatic ecosystems. 2008

Serenella Sala, and Marco Vighi
Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Milano Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 1, 20126 Milano, Italy.

The EU Water Framework Directive states that the management of surface water must be based on a site-specific assessment of water quality, that is dependent on land use. As a result, to develop a robust chemical management policy for aquatic ecosystems, the ecotoxicological risk must be strictly related to the local conditions and characteristics of the system. This paper presents a methodology developed to assess the ecotoxicological risk of pesticides to site-specific aquatic ecosystems. Spatial and relational databases, provisional models and risk indices were integrated into Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to produce maps of exposure, effect and risk at watershed scale. Each active ingredient is characterised by a data set that includes input data as well as results represented by a risk assessment cartography. The aim of this procedure is to perform a site-specific risk assessment by integrating geographical distribution of predicted environmental concentrations (PECs), ecotoxicological effects and the potential/actual quality of the exposed ecosystem. Examples of pesticide risk maps for surface waters in Lombardia Region (Northern Italy) are shown.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007558 Italy A country in southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia. The capital is Rome. Sardinia
D010575 Pesticides Chemicals used to destroy pests of any sort. The concept includes fungicides (FUNGICIDES, INDUSTRIAL); INSECTICIDES; RODENTICIDES; etc. Pesticide
D004784 Environmental Monitoring The monitoring of the level of toxins, chemical pollutants, microbial contaminants, or other harmful substances in the environment (soil, air, and water), workplace, or in the bodies of people and animals present in that environment. Monitoring, Environmental,Environmental Surveillance,Surveillance, Environmental
D014867 Water A clear, odorless, tasteless liquid that is essential for most animal and plant life and is an excellent solvent for many substances. The chemical formula is hydrogen oxide (H2O). (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 4th ed) Hydrogen Oxide
D014874 Water Pollutants, Chemical Chemical compounds which pollute the water of rivers, streams, lakes, the sea, reservoirs, or other bodies of water. Chemical Water Pollutants,Landfill Leachate,Leachate, Landfill,Pollutants, Chemical Water
D014877 Water Pollution, Chemical Adverse effect upon bodies of water (LAKES; RIVERS; seas; groundwater etc.) caused by CHEMICAL WATER POLLUTANTS. Chemical Water Pollution,Chemical Water Pollutions,Pollution, Chemical Water,Pollutions, Chemical Water,Water Pollutions, Chemical
D017753 Ecosystem A functional system which includes the organisms of a natural community together with their environment. (McGraw Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 4th ed) Ecosystems,Biome,Ecologic System,Ecologic Systems,Ecological System,Habitat,Niche, Ecological,System, Ecological,Systems, Ecological,Biomes,Ecological Niche,Ecological Systems,Habitats,System, Ecologic,Systems, Ecologic
D018570 Risk Assessment The qualitative or quantitative estimation of the likelihood of adverse effects that may result from exposure to specified health hazards or from the absence of beneficial influences. (Last, Dictionary of Epidemiology, 1988) Assessment, Risk,Benefit-Risk Assessment,Risk Analysis,Risk-Benefit Assessment,Health Risk Assessment,Risks and Benefits,Analysis, Risk,Assessment, Benefit-Risk,Assessment, Health Risk,Assessment, Risk-Benefit,Benefit Risk Assessment,Benefit-Risk Assessments,Benefits and Risks,Health Risk Assessments,Risk Analyses,Risk Assessment, Health,Risk Assessments,Risk Benefit Assessment,Risk-Benefit Assessments
D040362 Geographic Information Systems Computer systems capable of assembling, storing, manipulating, and displaying geographically referenced information, i.e. data identified according to their locations. Geographical Information Systems,Global Positioning System,Global Positioning Systems,Geographic Information System,Geographical Information System,Information System, Geographic,Information System, Geographical,Information Systems, Geographic,Information Systems, Geographical,Positioning System, Global,Positioning Systems, Global,System, Geographical Information,System, Global Positioning,Systems, Geographical Information,Systems, Global Positioning

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