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Pesticide evaluation tool: PestSurf
The Danish EPA is now introducing a new tool – PestSurf - to estimate the concentration of pesticides in surface water, thus offering the authorities involved a better basis for performing risk analysis to aid the final decision of whether a pesticide should be approved or not.
Pesticides intended for marketing in Denmark must be approved. Until now, environmental aspects relating to transport in soil, wind drift and processes in streams and ponds, which are considered in connection with the risk assessment of aquatic effects of a pesticide, have been represented a series of assumptions of real-life situations. The new tool, however, is the first step towards basing decisions on modelling real-life situations.
The model was designed in a project performed by DHI – Water and Environment, the Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences and the National Environmental Research Institute, and is based on two typical Danish streams and their catchment areas – one of moraine clay and the other a sandy area. Modelling on the basis of data from the two areas can be used to predict the fate of pesticides in the environment, after application.
Denmark hopes that the concept of the model in the future will be introduced in other EU Member States. Together with existing EU models PestSurf gives a comprehensive assessment of individual pesticides occurrence in surface water in terms of concentration and time.
Further information:
Danish EPA, Chemicals, Jørn Kirkegaard, jki@mst.dk, phone: +45 3266 0100
Read the reports presenting the tool on the Danish EPA website:
Pesticide Research, reports nos 62-64:
Reports presenting basic information:
Pesticide Research reports nos 65-69:
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