Recent Pesticide Developments

Pesticide immunoassays have been developed for a variety of pesticides and, more recently, GMOs, and have been used for matrices such as surface water, groundwater, runoff water, soil, sediment, crops, milk, meat, eggs, grain, urine and blood. ° Table 9 is a partial list of immunoassays for chemical pesticides developed since 1995 and includes notations on the matrices studied. A fairly comprehensive list of pesticide immunoassays developed prior to 1994 was provided by Gee et al2 ... 

Immunotechniques have recently been developed to detect food contaminants, e.g., toxins, growth hormone, antibiotics, pesticides, and herbicides. Penicillin (62) in milk, aflatoxins and mycotoxins (63, 64, 65) in milk, cheeses, yogurt, corn have been detected by immunosensors. Characteristics of protein and receptors in or on the cell surface were used in detecting pathogens such as Listeria and Salmonella by immunosensors (11, 66). The principle of immunosensors has also been applied in pesticide determinations (67, 68). 

Considering the limited number of pesticides developed in recent years and the need to extend the useful life of the available compounds, WHO, in collaboration with other relevant institutions, should strengthen pesticide resistance monitoring in vectors and pests of public health importance and promote effective and practical resistance management strategies. 

QuEChERS, which stands for Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe, is one of those new-generation sample preparation methods for pesticide multiresidue analysis [1]. Although very recently introduced (development between 2000-2002, publication in 2003), the method has been widely embraced by the international pesticide residue analysts community and is already being used in numerous laboratories worldwide [2-6]. Aiming to deliver an economical and... 

Nevertheless, enough very important data have recently been developed on widely used pesticides not only to assess the potential danger to human health but also to broaden the theoretical aspects of the problem. Procedures for research to identify delayed effects are described in detail in the Methodical Instructions for Hygienic Evaluation of New Pesticides (USSR Ministry of Health 1988). These data can be grouped into the following classes ... 

Portability, time of analysis and automation are important issues for environmental sensors. Collection and transportation of samples to the laboratory adds to the cost of analysis. Solutions to these issues have been addressed in this volume in Chapters 9, 17 and 18, that report developments of a screen printed disposable electrode for organophosphate pesticides, a compact self-standing immunosensor for bacteria, and spot assay for glucose, respectively. In a recent report development of an enzyme electrode for the remote monitoring, with a very fast response time, of organophosphate pesticides was reported (23). An automated prototype immunosensor... 

Manufacturers and specialist materials development associations publish extensive corrosion data in the form of monographs, and this form of presentation is also used in national standards. The most recent comprehensive text in this category is perhaps the publication by the Zinc Development Association . The work is important in that the section on chemicals also deals with common, though complex, chemical formulations, e.g. Are-extinguisher fluids, soaps and syndets, agricultural chemicals such as pesticides and fertilisers. This publication also demonstrates the mammoth task of recording all the available data for just one material. A comparable book for mild steel would probably be much larger, whereas for many other materials the information has not yet been determined. Thus at best, only very incomplete data are available in this form. 

The need to develop and use chiral chromatographic techniques to resolve racemates in pesticide residues will be driven by new hazard and risk assessments undertaken using data from differential metabolism studies. The molecular structures of many pesticides incorporate chiral centers and, in some cases, the activity differs between enantiomers. Consequently, in recent years manufacturers have introduced resolved enantiomers to provide pesticides of higher activity per unit mass applied. For example, the fungicide metalaxyl is a racemic mix of R- and 5-enantiomers, both having the same mode of action but differing considerably in effectiveness. The -enantiomer is the most effective and is marketed as a separate product metalaxyl-M. In future, it will not be satisfactory to rely on hazard/risk assessments based on data from metabolism studies of racemic mixes. The metabolism studies will need to be undertaken on one, or more, of the resolved enantiomers. 

The danger to domestic animals, including pets, is an important hazard in the use of all newer economic poisons. Drift dusts or sprays from carelessly applied materials may set back the useful development of many valuable chemicals. Only recently have authorities finally decided that we should slow down on the use of DDT on cows until we know more about the occurrence of the chemical in rtiilk, butter, and steaks. Our sportsmen and, incidentally, a major economic factor in our pleasant way of life—the fish, game, and wildlife activities—are part and parcel of the problem of chemical usage in forests and streams. We need continued and expanded investigations of the effects of the newer pesticides on wild life. 

Assist in Standardization of Nomenclature. The profusion of trade names, initials, numbers, and combinations thereof for pesticides contributes to misuse and errors in the handling of these preparations. The coining of common or generic names for pesticides is a recent and commendable innovation in this field of science. It presents many problems which require the services of many groups. The many years of experience of the Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry in the development of generic names for drugs is at the disposal of the committee in its consideration of nomenclature problems. 

This practice went on until recently. Four hundred eighty-one formulations and compounds were included in the official list of pesticides permitted for use in agriculture from 1986-90 [14]. In 1990, the MPC and other health protocols were developed for only 127 pesticides in food products, 105 pesticides in bodies of water used for hygiene and drinking, 78 pesticides in fishery reservoirs, 31 pesticides in farm animal feed, 81 pesticides in the soil, and 119 pesticides in work zone air [1]. There were no MPCs for the remainder of the pesticides permitted for use and, according to existing rules, they should not have been used. Nevertheless, they were. 

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