Building Stronger Relationships Between Atmospheric Transport of Pesticides and Environmental Biomarkers

大气传输途径在环境中农药移动中的作用通常直接或间接地通过管制变化(取消或限制农药使用)或标签变化来观察，例如警告和需要增加缓冲区以保护敏感栖息地。农药可以在大气中的气相或颗粒相中在大地理范围内从施药地点向非施药地点进行大气迁移，影响到依赖农业的农村社区。气候变化带来的额外环境压力包括森林火灾发生率增加。大气传输途径使森林火灾产生的细颗粒物(直径2.5微米)和粗颗粒物(用总颗粒物或直径10微米测量)得以移动。与大气中这些颗粒物有关的化学物质包括杀虫剂和多环芳烃等半挥发性有机物，进一步影响农村社区的生计和健康。农业对加拿大的经济很重要，随着2021年的草原干旱，加拿大的农作物产量下降(小麦、大麦、燕麦比2020年下降了36%、27%、20%)。农民正在管理化学农药应用的高成本，不断变化的法规，市场上缺乏新的配方，以及杂草、病虫害抗性的上升。公众还关注杀虫剂对环境(例如传粉物种)和人类健康的影响。我们的研究正值关键时刻，使下一步能够在杀虫剂的大气传输途径与环境中观察到的影响的位置之间建立直接和更强有力的联系。这项研究将检查所有环境隔间(例如空气(气体和颗粒物)、土壤、杂草、农作物和蜂箱暴露(通过发展非侵入性蜂箱被动采样)中的颗粒物、杀虫剂和多环芳烃(如果适用)的出现)。通过揭示关系，我们将帮助建立最佳管理实践，以保护农民、养蜂人和农村社区的生命和资源。研究地区包括加拿大草原，那里种植谷物和油籽(油菜籽)。我们最初将把重点放在萨斯喀彻温省和奥卡纳根山谷，那里有果园和葡萄园，所有这些都对加拿大的经济至关重要。这些农业区在农药使用模式、作物种类、气候因素等方面存在差异，并且是森林火灾发生率较高的森林附近地区。这项工作需要利用色谱-质谱仪在痕量水平上进一步开发和应用化学分析方法。我们的目标是不仅在化学农药配方中的有效成分方面扩大我们的成功，而且在环境中形成的转化产品方面也扩大我们的成功。这项研究将确定环境中的移动路径和新出现的毒性问题。

The role of the atmospheric transport pathway in the movement of pesticides in the environment is often observed directly or indirectly through regulatory change (canceled or restricted pesticide uses) or labeling changes such as warnings and need for an increase in the buffer zone for protection of sensitive habitat. Pesticides can undergo atmospheric transport in the gas or particle phase in the atmosphere from on-application site to off-site over a large geographical scale impacting rural communities dependent on agriculture. Additional environmental pressures from climate change include increased incidence of forest fires. The atmospheric transport pathway enables the movement of fine (diameter <2.5 microns) and coarse particles (measured using total or diameter<10 microns) produced from forest fires. Chemicals associated with these particles in the atmosphere include semi-volatile organics such as pesticides and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) further impacting the livelihood and health of rural communities. Agriculture is important to Canada's economy, and with a Prairie drought in 2021 there was a loss in crop production in Canada (wheat, barley, oats down 36, 27, 20 % from 2020). Farmers are managing the high cost of chemical pesticide applications, changing regulations, lack of new formulations in the marketplace, and rise in weed, disease, and insect resistance. There is also public concern regarding the impacts of pesticides on the environment (e.g. pollinator species) and human health. Our research comes at a critical time to enable the next steps in establishing direct and stronger ties between the atmospheric transport pathway of pesticides with the location of observed impacts in the environment. This research will examine the occurrence of particles, pesticides, and PAHs (where applicable) in all environmental compartments (e.g. air (gas and particles), soil, weeds, crops, and beehive exposure (by developing non-invasive beehive passive sampling)). By uncovering relationships, we will aid in establishing best management practices for the protection of lives and resources of farmers, beekeepers, and rural communities. Study areas include the Canadian Prairies, where grains and oilseeds (canola) are grown. We will initially focus on Saskatchewan and the Okanagan Valley with orchards and vineyards, all of which are critical to Canada's economy. These agricultural areas have differences in usage patterns of pesticides, crops types, climatic factors and are near forested areas with increased incidence of forest fires. This work demands advanced development and application of chemical analysis methods at trace levels using chromatography-mass spectrometry. We aim to extend our success not only for active ingredients in chemical pesticide formulations but also for the transformation products formed in the environment.  This research will identify pathways of movement in the environment and new emerging toxicity concerns.