Freshwater ecotoxicity assessment of pesticide use in crop production: Testing the influence of modeling choices

Peña, Nancy; Knudsen, Marie Trydeman; Fantke, Peter; Antón, Assumpció; Hermansen, John E.

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.10.257

Cited by 29 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…In cases, where spatial data are becoming available, the models should be adapted to account for spatial aspects, which is discussed e.g. in Peña et al (2018Peña et al ( , 2019. More generally, for all pedo-climatic contexts, some impacts are not adequately taken into account or not included at all in some models, such as terrestrial and marine ecotoxicity (Notarnicola et al 2017).…”

Section: (Eco-)toxicity Characterization For Tropical Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Challenges and ways forward in pesticide emission and toxicity characterization modeling for tropical conditions

Gentil-Sergent

Fantke

Mottes

et al. 2019

Int J Life Cycle Assess

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Purpose In tropical cropping systems, pesticides are extensively used to fight pests and ensure high crop yields. However, pesticide use also leads to environmental and health impacts. While pesticide emissions and impacts are influenced by farm management practices and environmental conditions, available Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) emission models and Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) toxicity characterization models are generally designed based on temperate conditions. There is, hence, a need for adapting LCI and LCIA models for evaluating pesticides under tropical conditions. To address this need, we aim to identify the characteristics that determine pesticide emissions and related impacts under tropical conditions, and to assess to what extent LCI and LCIA models need to be adapted to better account for these conditions. Methods We investigated the state-of-knowledge with respect to characteristics that drive pesticide emission patterns, environmental fate, human and ecological exposures, and toxicological effects under tropical conditions. We then discuss the applicability of existing LCI and LCIA models to tropical regions as input for deriving specific recommendations for future modeling refinements. Results and discussion Our results indicate that many pesticide-related environmental processes, such as degradation and volatilization, show higher kinetic rates under tropical conditions mainly due to higher temperatures, sunlight radiation, and microbial activity. Heavy and frequent rainfalls enhance leaching and runoff. Specific soil characteristics (e.g., low pH), crops, and cropping systems (e.g., mulching) are important drivers of distinct pesticide emission patterns under tropical conditions. Adapting LCI models to tropical conditions implies incorporating specific features of tropical cropping systems (e.g., intercropping, ground cover management), specific drift curves for tropical pesticide application techniques, and better addressing leaching processes. The validity domain of the discussed LCI and LCIA models could be systematically extended to tropical regions by considering tropical soil types, climate conditions, and crops, and adding active substances applied specifically under tropical conditions, including the consideration of late applications of pesticides before harvest and their effect on crop residues and subsequent human intake. Conclusions Current LCI and LCIA models are not fully suitable for evaluating pesticide emissions and impacts for crops cultivated in tropical regions. Models should be adapted and parameterized to better account for various characteristics influencing emission and impact patterns under tropical conditions using best available data and knowledge. Further research is urgently required to improve our knowledge and data with respect to understanding and evaluating pesticide emission and impact processes under tropical conditions.

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Section: (Eco-)toxicity Characterization For Tropical Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Challenges and ways forward in pesticide emission and toxicity characterization modeling for tropical conditions

Gentil-Sergent

Fantke

Mottes

et al. 2019

Int J Life Cycle Assess

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Human and ecotoxicological impacts relating to pesticides and other chemical emissions were identified as an important environmental impact category. Most studies addressing the environment impacts of pesticides address individual food products, such as citrus [53], strawberries [54,55], cherries [56], pineapples [57], or other crops [58], not entire diets. In this study of Australian adult daily diets, it was shown that the human and ecotoxicological impacts relating to pesticide use vary widely between individual diets and that these potential impacts are determined largely by food choice.…”

Section: Comparison With Other Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pesticide Toxicity Footprints of Australian Dietary Choices

et al. 2021

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Pesticides are widely used in food production, yet the potential harm associated with their emission into the environment is rarely considered in the context of sustainable diets. In this study, a life cycle assessment was used to quantify the freshwater ecotoxicity, human toxicity carcinogenic effects, and human toxicity noncarcinogenic effects associated with pesticide use in relation to 9341 individual Australian adult daily diets. The three environmental indicators were also combined into a pesticide toxicity footprint, and a diet quality score was applied to each diet. Energy-dense and nutrient-poor discretionary foods, fruits, and protein-rich foods were the sources of most of the dietary pesticide impacts. Problematically, a dietary shift toward recommended diets was found to increase the pesticide toxicity footprint compared to the current average diet. Using a quadrant analysis, a recommended diet was identified with a 38% lower pesticide toxicity footprint. This was achieved mainly through a reduction in the discretionary food intake and by limiting the choice of fresh fruits. As the latter contradicts dietary recommendations to eat a variety of fruits of different types and colors, we concluded that dietary change may not be the best approach to lowering the environmental impacts of pesticides in the food system. Instead, targeted action in the horticultural industry may be more effective. Consumers might encourage this transition by supporting growers that reduce pesticide use and apply less environmentally harmful active ingredients.

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“…Within impact analyses, it would be overwhelming if all emissions were individually defined. To aggregate and simplify the results, equivalents based on impact severity (e.g., toxicity, hazard potential) are used to aggregate different environmental releases (Peña, Knudsen, Fantke, Antón, & Hermansen, 2019).…”

Section: Equivalentmentioning

confidence: 99%

A life cycle analysis (LCA) primer for the agricultural community

et al. 2020

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Consumer demand for sustainably produced agricultural products is increasing. One approach that can be used to evaluate and compare product sustainability is to conduct a life cycle analysis (LCA). The term LCA is broadly used to describe a suite of analytical resources and standardized methods. Life cycle analyses are a transdisciplinary tool which can and are used by all professions but work best when conducted by teams with diverse skills and backgrounds. The objective of this paper is to provide a primer on LCAs for the agricultural community and for LCA practitioners unfamiliar with agronomy. Agricultural LCAs can differ greatly because agricultural products have multiple end uses, complex socioeconomic and environmental trade-offs, and can be generated using a variety of different practices, resources, and production systems. Through worldwide agricultural marketing, intricate agronomic supply chains and support systems have been developed to produce, store, and distribute agricultural products. In many situations, the production practices are not linked to the products consumers

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Freshwater ecotoxicity assessment of pesticide use in crop production: Testing the influence of modeling choices

Cited by 29 publications

References 42 publications

Challenges and ways forward in pesticide emission and toxicity characterization modeling for tropical conditions

Challenges and ways forward in pesticide emission and toxicity characterization modeling for tropical conditions

Pesticide Toxicity Footprints of Australian Dietary Choices

A life cycle analysis (LCA) primer for the agricultural community

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