Modified Ecotoxy Method for of Integrated Assessment of Potential Environmental Hazard of Modern Pesticides

Abstract

The problem of pesticide pollution of all layers of the biosphere remains acute not only in Ukraine but also around the world. In this case, pesticides and their preparations (PP) are "toxic substances, their compounds or mixtures of substances of chemical or biological origin, designed to destroy, regulate and stop the development of harmful organisms that affect plants, animals, humans and damage property, as well as rodents, weeds, trees, shrubs, clogging fish species "[1]. That is, these are chemical compounds that are used to protect plants and agricultural products, as well as to control vectors of dangerous diseases. However, all of them, or the vast majority of them, are toxic and pose a significant danger to humans and the environment. Therefore, it is necessary to develop such a simplified and universal, but at the same time, effective method of gradation according to the degree of their toxicity.

The essence of the modified method of ecotoxics is that such a method of calculation should include the main toxicological parameters of the chemical detected in the environment and indicators of spontaneous cleavage (decomposition) of the compound in a particular environment.

Thousands of brands of pesticides from many manufacturers are used worldwide. New more effective pesticide mixtures are constantly being developed and registered in Ukraine. However, the active ingredients of pesticides are relatively few. The dangers to the environment and human health from the use of pesticides are well known, but the dependence of pesticide residual activity on the environment is poorly understood.

Relevance: when using pesticides, the main hazard parameter is LD50 in rats or other warm-blooded animals. However, toxicity measures such as exposure time or pesticide application rates are not considered. Quite often very toxic pesticides decompose quite quickly in the soil and on the contrary low-toxic pesticides poison the environment for many months or even years.

Although there are a large number of patented brands of pesticides, their chemical composition does not differ significantly. Pesticides of the same composition are patented under different names to generate profits without paying interest to the patent owner and, accordingly, to generate additional profits. As a rule, the active substance in pesticides from different manufacturers may be similar. The ratio of the active substance to the solvent, the amount and composition of solvents, the mixture in a certain ratio of several active substances of pesticides are excellent. Table 5.9 lists the trade names of pesticides used in Ukraine and supplied by international chemical giants.