{"id":113598,"date":"2021-03-29T08:56:49","date_gmt":"2021-03-29T12:56:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/?p=113598"},"modified":"2021-04-29T18:31:25","modified_gmt":"2021-04-29T22:31:25","slug":"pesticides-degradation-groundwater-what-we-dont-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/pesticides-degradation-groundwater-what-we-dont-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Pesticide Degradation and Groundwater: What We Don’t Know"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Amanda Fogleman, Researcher and Writer at Save the Water<\/span>\u2122<\/span>| March 29, 2021<\/span><\/p>\n

As the Earth\u2019s population continues to increase, securing a stable food source becomes essential. Farmers seek ways to expand food production but face major issues. Farmers and others see pesticides and herbicides as solutions. Pesticides, however, have their own drawbacks. Fortunately, scientific research on the long-term consequences of pesticide use continues to grow. However, we still need to discover a lot about how pesticides spread and behave in groundwater.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pesticide Use and Application<\/b><\/h2>\n

People apply pesticides<\/span> routinely in both agricultural and residential settings<\/span><\/a>. After application, the pesticides can infiltrate into the groundwater. An aquifer is a natural reservoir of water underground; once the pesticides have entered an aquifer, the groundwater flows and can move the pesticides to other areas. <\/span>About 50% of the United States\u2019 population and 95% of people living in agricultural communities rely on groundwater for their drinking<\/span><\/a> water. Therefore, we need to understand the effects of pesticides on human health.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pesticides Degradation<\/b><\/h2>\n

Pesticides breakdown, or degrade, into daughter versions of themselves, known as \u201c<\/span>pesticide transformation products<\/span><\/a>.\u201d\u00a0 Many factors influence degradation, but we know <\/span>little about how these factors interact<\/span><\/a>. While <\/span>modern pesticides generally biodegrade into ecologically compatible versions of themselves,<\/span><\/a> they can also degrade into<\/span> more harmful versions<\/span><\/a>. Every year, people apply about <\/span>1 billion pounds of pesticides in the United States<\/span><\/a>. <\/span>As a result, many scientists want to know more about them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pesticides join other human-made substances that have gained attention in recent years. Specifically, scientists have noted that PFASs, the \u201c<\/span>forever chemicals<\/span><\/a>\u201d, and <\/span>human-applied minerals<\/span><\/a> as known troublemakers, too.<\/span><\/p>\n

Influences on Infiltration<\/b><\/h2>\n

Before the mid-1970s, people didn\u2019t understand that pesticides could spread throughout groundwater after application. Rather, people <\/span>believed that the soil acted as a protective layer that prevented<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>pesticides polluting groundwater.\u00a0 However, as an understanding of hydrogeology increased, people learned that this wasn\u2019t true. So, governments banned many pesticides. Even so, their effects remain. <\/span>It can take decades for a particular pesticide to become measurable<\/span><\/a> because of the slow process of infiltration and groundwater flow. Today, people identify pesticides as <\/span>the most commonly detected organic contaminants in urban groundwater<\/span><\/a>, despite growing restrictions and regulations. \u201cContaminants\u201d refers to a polluting or poisonous substance.<\/span><\/p>\n

In recent years, scientists have identified many influences on pesticide degradation and persistence. Now, people understand that a combination of many factors influences pesticide degradation and persistence:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n