Pesticide drift

The result is that more than 99.9% of the applied pesticide drifts off into the environment where it adversely affects nontarget... 

Localized, or field-scale, studies generally assess pesticides drifting off-target during application or from post-application volatilization over short sampling intervals. The... 

Believe it or not, we made several more attempts to have the interview. Just when we thought we were finally situated, the smell of pesticides drifted our way and we had to make another move. Finally, Carolyn had the presence of mind to realize that the interview should be discontinued because she was so ill and so exhausted from the whole ordeal. Extremely disappointed and feeling that she had somehow failed, she apologized profusely. 

Water-bodies affected by pesticide drift are static, 30 cm deep and 1 metre away from the crop... 

Akesson, N.B., W.E. Yates, N. Smith and R.E. Cowden. 1981. Rationalization of pesticide drift-loss accountancy by regression models. ASAE Paper 81-1006, St. Joseph, MI. 

The principle public concern with regard to risk from herbicide application in the forest is not the overt, or occupational, exposure to pesticide applicators or to persons who might be in the spray zone. It is the possible injury from pesticide drift at a distance of a few hundred yards or a quarter of a mile, up to 5 to 20 miles. All aerially-applied pesticides will drift for some distance, whether they be applied by fixed-wing craft or helicopter. 

It is well known that one of the most serious pesticide drift problems involves situations where chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides are applied legally to fields or orchards adjacent to dairy cattle operations or to fields containing future dairy forage. MacCollom (26) advised Vermont orchardists to allow at least a 200-foot buffer zone for adjacent hayfields and to apply tedion dusts only when wind velocities were 3 m.p.h. or less. 

Persons applying pesticides from a vehicle are, in general, separate from the immediate proximity of the pesticide being dispensed. Often they are located above and in front of the point of pesticide release. This factor, combined with the forward motion of the vehicle, reduces the probability that pesticide drift or runoff will contact them. Figure 6.6 show a person in a vehicle applying a contact herbicide with a directed applicator. 

Pesticide movement away from the release site in the air is usually called drift. Pesticide particles, dusts, spray droplets, and vapors all may be carried offsite in the air. People who mix, load, and apply pesticides outdoors usually are aware of the ease with which pesticides drift offsite. People who handle pesticides indoors may not realize how easily some pesticides move offsite in the air currents created by ventilation systems and by forced-air heating and cooling systems. 

Klein M. MOPED model for pesticide drift, User s manual Berlin Environmental Protection Agency, Report 126 05 080. (in German). 

In many countries, however, the use of agricultural aircraft has significantly diminished over the last 20 years. With some, the very mention of agricultural aircraft or crop dusting (an incorrect term) spawns a reaction and fear of widespread pesticide drift. In Europe, the use of agricultural aircraft has declined rapidly over the last 20 years. The number of aircraft in the UK has been reduced from more than 100 aircraft in the mid-1970s to about a dozen today. So what are the facts, and how can application using airborne platforms be optimised ... 

Pesticide Drift and Quantification from Air and Ground Applications to a Single Orchard Site... 

MACCOLLOM ET AL. Pesticide Drift and Quantification Literature Cited... 

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