A Review of the Chemistry, Pesticide Use, and Environmental Fate of Sulfur Dioxide, as Used in California

Abstract

Sulfur dioxide (SO) is an atmospheric pollutant that is moderately persistent in the atmosphere and highly water soluble. When applied as a pesticide, SO may be transported, deposited, or transformed in various chemical reactions. SO participates in the sulfur biogeochemical cycle, which involves complex reactions of sulfur-containing compounds between abiotic and biotic components of ecosystems. The main degradation route of SO is atmospheric oxidation, and sulfur oxides may undergo long-distance transport prior to removal from the atmosphere by wet or dry deposition. According to the Pesticide Use Reporting (PUR) database maintained by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR), SO use in California from 2010 to 2015 was primarily for fumigations (96%), including treatments of postharvest grape products and winery equipment sterilizations. Other site uses contributed less than 5% of reported statewide SO use from 2010 to 2015. A slight increasing trend in use of SO as a pesticide was observed from 2010 to 2015, with the highest reported uses of SO within California counties during the months of July-November. Although the primary sources of SO in the environment are anthropogenic emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels, emissions of SO from pesticide uses have the potential to contribute to the environmental and public welfare impacts of SO pollution. Oxidation of atmospheric SO may contribute to the negative environmental and public welfare impacts of acid rain, which include toxicity to aquatic organisms, fish, and terrestrial vegetation, and corrosion of man-made materials.

Interactive effects of meteorological factors and air pollutants on hand, foot, and mouth disease in Chengdu, China: a time-series study

“…48 49 Originating from numerous industrial processes, SO 2 has been confirmed to affect human health by irritating the respiratory tract, promoting oxidative damage and decreasing immunity. [50][51][52][53] However, Wei et al showed that SO 2 exposure was associated with an increased risk of HFMD in Hefei, 46 and Yan et al found no relationship between SO 2 exposure and HFMD in Shenzhen. 16 Additional evidence is needed to confirm the association between SO 2 and HFMD.…”

The effectiveness of vitamin C on quinalphos ileal toxicity: a study of histological, ultrastructural, and oxidative stress markers

“…Organophosphorus poisoning is a public health issue, with 3,000,000 instances of poisoning and 220,000 deaths reported each year around the world, with the vast majority of cases occurring in developing countries (Craig 2019).…”

Are insect GPCRs ideal next‐generation pesticides: opportunities and challenges

“…Although remarkably successful, extensive pesticide usage gave birth to new problems, the most important one of which were environmental toxicity, and bioaccumulation [21][22][23][24][25]. Extensive and random usage, e.g., inadequate application and spraying equipment and poor storage techniques resulted in soil, water, and food contamination that threatened public health and non-target organisms [26][27][28][29][30]. Groundwater contamination by the leaching of agricultural pesticides from soils is a serious problem leading to pollution of the aquatic environment [24,31,32].…”

“…Increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels as a result of pesticide usage and exposure can be associated with imbalances in cell homeostasis, which in turn, affects cellular components and DNA stability, and causes genotoxicity [42,[44][45][46][47][48]. A positive correlation between the incidence of various types of cancers such as leukemia, lung, and ovarian cancer as dependent variable and exposure to pesticides has been shown in many studies [13,29,30]. Besides the serious environmental and public health issues, different pest species have developed resistance to these chemicals, which leads to significant reduction in their effectiveness.…”