Pesticides: The Danish Pesticide Leaching Assessment Programme

In 1998, the Danish Government initiated the Pesticide Leaching Assessment Programme (PLAP), an intensive monitoring programme aimed at evaluating the leaching risk of pesticides under field conditions. The objective of the PLAP is to improve the scientific foundation for decision making in the assessment of pesticides for registration in Denmark. The specific aim is to analyse whether pesticides applied in accordance with current regulations leach to the groundwater at levels exceeding the maximum allowable concentration of 0.1 µg/l.

The programme was designed and the six test sites were established in Denmark during 1999. The work is being carried out by the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), the Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences (DIAS) and the National Environmental Research Institute (NERI). The six test sites and the monitoring equipment installed are described in the report: “The Danish Pesticide Leaching Assessment Programme: Site characterization and monitoring design”.

The first results, from three test sites where monitoring was started in 1999, are presented in the report: “The Danish Pesticide Leaching Assessment Programme: Monitoring results, May 1999 – July 2000”.

Further information: Bo Lindhardt, GEUS. Phone: +45 3814 2323. E-mail: bli@geus.dk.
The two reports can be downloaded from http://www.pesticidvarsling.dk or purchased from GEUS.

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