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In the present study, the field dissipation and transport of quizalofop-p-ethyl by water and sediment runoff were investigated in sunflower experimental cultivation under Mediterranean conditions. The cultivation was carried out in silty clay soil plots with two different slopes of 1 and 5%. The soil dissipation rate of quizalofop-p-ethyl was fast and can be described by both single first-order (SFO) and Gustafson and Holden (first-order multi compartment (FOMC)) kinetics. The half-life of quizalofop-p-ethyl ranged from 0.55 to 0.68 days and from 0.45 to 0.71 days when SFO and FOMC kinetics were applied, respectively. No herbicide residues were detected below the 10-cm soil layer. A single detection of quizalofop-p-ethyl was observed in runoff water (3 days after application (DAA)) at relatively low concentrations (from 1.70 to 2.04 μg L(-1)). In sediment, it was detected in the samplings of 3 and 25 DAA at concentrations that never exceeded 0.126 μg g(-1). The estimated total losses of quizalofop-p-ethyl as percentage of the initial applied active ingredient were low both in water and sediment (less than of 0.021 and 0.005%, respectively). Quizalofop-p-ethyl residues were detectable for 18 DAA in the stems and leaves of the plants and 6 DAA in the root system. No herbicide residues were detected in inflorescences and seeds of sunflower plants. Experimental data showed minimal risk for the contamination of soil and adjacent water bodies.

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Objective: We hypothesize that exposure to aflatoxins and fumonisins, measured in serum, alters protein synthesis, reducing serum protein and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), increasing inflammation and infection, leading to child linear growth failure. Design: Children 6-35 months, stratified by baseline stunting, were subsampled from an intervention trial on quality protein maize consumption and evaluated at two time points. Setting: Blood samples and anthropometric data were collected in the pre-harvest (August-September 2015) and post-harvest (February 2016) seasons in rural Ethiopia. Participants: 102 children (50 stunted and 52 non-stunted). Results: Proportions of children exposed to aflatoxin G1, aflatoxin G2, and aflatoxin M1 were higher in the pre-harvest (8%, 33%, and 7%, respectively) compared to post-harvest season (4%, 28%, and 4%, respectively). The proportion of children exposed to any aflatoxin was higher in the pre-harvest than post-harvest season (51% vs. 41%). Fumonisin exposure ranged from 0-11%. In joint statistical tests, aflatoxin exposure was associated with serum biomarkers of inflammation (C-reactive protein, α-1-glycoprotein) and protein status (transthyretin, lysine, tryptophan), IGF-1, and linear growth (all p<0.01). However, exposure to specific aflatoxins was not significantly associated with any biomarkers or outcomes (all p>0.05). Conclusions: Aflatoxin exposure among rural Ethiopian children was high, with large variation between seasons and individual aflatoxins. Fumonisin exposure was low. There was no clear association between aflatoxin exposure and protein status, inflammation, or linear growth. A larger study may be needed to examine potential biological interactions, and assessment of aflatoxins in food is needed to determine sources of high exposure.