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Pesticide Spills Common When Farmers Transfer Highly Concentrated Liquids Into Spray Tanks

Date:
August 13, 2008
Source:
American Chemical Society
Summary:
Scientists in Sweden are cautioning about the need for further research as more countries embrace a popular method for preventing pesticide spills. Researchers point out that pesticide spills are common when farmers transfer highly concentrated liquid preparations into spray tanks where the pesticide is diluted with water. Even if a small, few-inch wide puddle of this concentrate spilled under the tank, the nearby environment could be exposed to up to one hundred thousand times the normal pesticide dose.
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Scientists in Sweden are cautioning about the need for further research as more countries embrace a popular method for preventing pesticide spills. Their review of current scientific knowledge on the so-called "biobed" is to be published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

In the study, Maria Del Pilar Castillo and colleagues point out that pesticide spills are common when farmers transfer highly concentrated liquid preparations into spray tanks where the pesticide is diluted with water. Even if a small, few-inch wide puddle of this concentrate spilled under the tank, the nearby environment could be exposed to up to one hundred thousand times the normal pesticide dose. "The risk of contamination is obvious," says Castillo.

To remedy the problem, Swedish scientists in 1993 developed the biobed. Built from layers of grass, clay and a biomixture of straw, peat and soil approximately two feet deep, the biobed functions as an absorbent sponge for leaking concentrate from parked spray tanks.

Castillo says the effectiveness and simplicity of biobed systems help them spread worldwide. But as biobeds are modified to suit local conditions and needs, she cautions that it is important to analyze their actual performance in each specific location and evaluate the effects of changes to the biobed's composition and how local temperature and other conditions affect performance.


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Materials provided by American Chemical Society. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Castillo et al. Biobeds for Environmental Protection from Pesticide Use -- A Review. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2008; 56 (15): 6206 DOI: 10.1021/jf800844x

Cite This Page:

American Chemical Society. "Pesticide Spills Common When Farmers Transfer Highly Concentrated Liquids Into Spray Tanks." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 13 August 2008. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080811092448.htm>.
American Chemical Society. (2008, August 13). Pesticide Spills Common When Farmers Transfer Highly Concentrated Liquids Into Spray Tanks. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 28, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080811092448.htm
American Chemical Society. "Pesticide Spills Common When Farmers Transfer Highly Concentrated Liquids Into Spray Tanks." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080811092448.htm (accessed March 28, 2024).

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