Numerical Modeling of Groundwater Pollution by Chlorpyrifos, Bromacil and Terbuthylazine. Application to the Buñol-Cheste Aquifer (Spain)

Abstract

Chlorpyrifos, Bromacil and Terbuthylazine are commonly used as insecticides and herbicides to control weeds and prevent non-desirable growth of algae, fungi and bacteria in many agricultural applications. Despite their highly negative effects on human health, environmental modeling of these pesticides in the vadose zone until they reach groundwater is still not being conducted on a regular basis. This work shows results obtained by version 5.08 of the Pesticide Root Zone Model (PRZM5) numerical model to simulate the fate and transport of Chlorpyrifos, Bromacil and Terbuthylazine between 2006 and 2018 inside the Buñol-Cheste aquifer in Spain. The model uses a whole set of parameters to solve a modified version of the mass transport equation considering the combined effect of advection, dispersion and reactive transport processes. The simulation process was designed for a set of twelve scenarios considering four application doses for each pesticide. Results show that the maximum concentration value for every scenario exceeds the current Spanish Maximum Concentration Limit (0.1 μg/L). Numerical simulations were able to reproduce concentration observations over time despite the limited amount of available data.

Assessing the Effects of Environmental Flows on Water Quality for Urban Supply

“…The second significant factor is the fact that 90% of the river flow in this part of the basin is sourced from the Buñol-Cheste aquifer. This aquifer is characterized by complex hydrogeological features due to the presence of multiple aquifer segments from the Tertiary and Mesozoic periods which affects its hydrogeological behavior [44].…”

Pwc-Based Evaluation of Groundwater Pesticide Pollution in the Júcar River Basin

“…The study sites were chosen due to their pesticide use and inputs variability (agricultural area, soil group, crop types, application patterns). The calibration process of the pesticide parameter "Amount" has been performed manually, following a trial-and-error process and adjusting the distribution of every pesticide to reproduce the observation data (Pérez-Indoval et al, 2021). The number and dates of the applications were obtained from surveys of farmers performed by the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food and the Environment (MAPA).…”

Human Exposure to Pesticides in Dust from Two Agricultural Sites in South Africa

“…For example, long-term exposure to some organophosphate insecticides has been associated with neurotoxic and developmental effects for chlorpyrifos [ 4 ], while diazinon exposure has induced oxidative stress, immune disorders, and gut microbiota dysbiosis [ 5 ], and exposure to several pesticides cause DNA damage [ 6 , 7 ]. Furthermore, there has been significant evidence of pesticide contamination of several environmental matrices, such as air, soil, or water [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ]. Consequently, many concerns have arisen worldwide about the negative impacts of pesticides on the environment and human health.…”