Estimation of environmental impact of some of the most often occurring pesticides in Slovenian surface and underground water

The use of environmental xenobiotics is increasing every day. We are now all dependent on synthetic substances in agriculture, pharmacy, petrochemical and food industries. Pesticides, when used correctly, have enormous benefits in increasing crop yield and improving the quality of agricultural produce. The problem is what happens to these chemicals in the environment. They can be widespread through various pathways. The aim of our work was to find out which pesticides occur most often in Slovenian surface and underground water and to assess some of their environmental characteristics. National monitoring on underground water includes analyses of 27 pesticides and their metabolites, which can be bought in the country. In spite of the fact that their use has not been allowed since 1994, the most often detected and widely spread pesticides in Slovenia appeared to be atrazine and alachlor. This is the reason why the toxicity of atrazine, alachlor and pentachlorophenol to different aquatic organisms was determined. Sensitivity of test organisms to pesticides was compared. The experimental results were compared with available literature data. Toxicity assessment shows their environmental impact and hazard on non-target aquatic organisms.