Environmental Risk assessment of plant protection products uses in Tunisian agriculture

OBJECTIVES • to characterize the potential risk of groundwater contamination from synthetic pesticides used in the northwest of Tunisia. • develop survey among local farmers to collect data on farming practices and pesticide use. • use Pesticide Environmental Risk Indicator (PERI) model to calculate an environmental risk score for each used active substance. HIGHLIGHTS • Fifteen water samples (surface and groundwater) were collected and analyzed with the LC-MS/MS. • 16% of studied active substances have a high leaching potential and are likely to contaminate groundwater by leaching • Eight active substances had an ERS that reached a value of 5 or more. • Off-target movement of chemicals may present a risk to the environment due to the intrinsic toxicity of this class of pesticides.