Study in Germany Shows Year-round Pesticide Persistence

A study of crop fields, vegetable fields, vineyards, and adjacent meadows in Germany showed that active ingredients of pesticides were present in soils and plants throughout the year. A study by the RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau sampled topsoil and vegetation monthly and found low levels of multiple pesticides all year. On average, ten pesticides were found in the soil. In one sample, the team measured 28 substances. The researchers also found pesticide mixtures in the vegetation, but with seasonal variations. The average number of pesticides in the vegetation was seven, with a maximum of 25 substances in individual samples. “We were able to show that complex mixtures of pesticides are present at low concentrations throughout the year. The effects of this chronic exposure to mixtures on the environment are largely unknown,” says Carolina Honert from RPTU.