Pesticides in water

Abstract

Pesticides are chemical compounds that are widely used to control the pest population. More than 1000 pesticides are used all over the world. Each of them has unique properties and noxious effects. Approximately 5.6 billion pounds of pesticides are used every year across the globe. Only 0.1% of them reach the targeted organisms (pests). They cannot be held within the boundaries of the farms. Irrigation and rainfall increase the risk of leaching and contaminating ground and surface water. The factors like solubility in water, mobility in soil, and application rate determine the infiltration of pesticides into water. The presence of pesticides in drinking water poses life-threatening risks as they are a dangerous environmental pollutant. Maximum permissible limits of pesticides and their residues are legally regulated in each country. Even at the levels considered safe, pesticides have caused a great loss to biodiversity. Therefore their level in the environment needs continuous monitoring. The present work examines the different types of pesticides and their toxic effects on the different organisms in detail. The analysis of the pesticides is also challenging as sample preparation is tedious, and the presence of target analytes is at low levels. This chapter also explores different techniques for the preparation of the sample and their analysis. Different measures of control have also been studied. © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.