Abstract
The use of agricultural herbicides in the United States increased 280% between 1966 and 1981; insecticide use also increased, but only by a few per cent1. Since 1981, pesticide use has fluctuated with crop acreage, and shows no clear increasing or decreasing trend2. Compared to their predecessors, currently used herbicides are not very toxic to animals, and both herbicides and insecticides are less persistent and show less tendency to bio-accumulate, but are more soluble in water, and therefore more mobile in the environment. Previous studies of these compounds have reported their movement to the edge of the field by surface transport in rainfall runoff3, their presence in surface and ground water4–9, and their seasonal presence in drinking water supplies4. By contrast, only one previous study10 has reported any of these compounds in rainwater: atrazine was reported in Maryland in concentrations as high as 2.19 μg I−1. The work we report here indicates that many of these compounds are more commonly present in rainfall, at least regionally, than has previously been realized.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
1. Hileman, B. Envir. Sci. Technol. 16, 645A–650A (1982). 2. National Agricultural Chemicals Association Report to the Membership for 1984–1985 (Washington, 1985). 3. Wauchope, R. D. J. envir. Qual. 7, 459–472 (1978). 4. Baker, D. B. J. Soil Water Conserv. 40, 125–132 (1985). 5. Baker, D. B., Krieger, K. A., Richards, R. P. & Kramer, J. W. in Perspectives on Nonpoint Source Pollution (ed. Moore, M. L.) 210–207 (Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, 1985). 6. Frank, R., Braun, H. E., Holdrinet, M. V. H., Sirons, G. J. & Ripley, B. D. / envir. Qual. 11,497–505 (1982). 7. Johnson, H. P. & Baker, J. L. Field-to-stream Transport of Agricultural Chemicals and Sediment in an Iowa Watershed: Part II. Data Base for Model Testing (1979–1980) (Environmental Protection Agency, Athens, Georgia, 1984). 8. Hallberg, G. R., Libra, R. D. & Hoyer, B. E. in Perspectives on Nonpoint Source Pollution 109–114 (Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, 1985). 9. Soren, J. & Stelz, W. G. in Perspectives on Nonpoint Source Pollution 101–108 (Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, 1985). 10. Wu, T. L. Wat. Air Soil Pollut. 15, 173–184 (1981). 11. Tabatabai, M. A. in Agricultural Management and Water Quality (ed. Schaller, F.) 92–108 (Iowa State University Press, 1983). 12. Bidleman, T. F. & Christensen, E. J. J. geophys. Res. 84, 7857–7862 (1979). 13. Kramer, J. W. & Baker, D. B. in Quality Assurance for Environmental Measurements, ASTM STP867 (eds Taylor, J. K. & Stanley, T. W.) 116–132 (American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, 1985). 14. Waldron, A.'C. Ohio agric. Res. Dev. Cent. Bull. 1157, 1–12 (Ohio State University, 1984). 15. Glass, G. E. & Brydges, T. C. in Acid Rain/Fisheries (ed. Johnson, R. E.) 265–286 (NE Division of American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, 1982).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Richards, R., Kramer, J., Baker, D. et al. Pesticides in rainwater in the northeastern United States. Nature 327, 129–131 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1038/327129a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/327129a0
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.
