Airborne drift residues collected near apple orchard environments due to application of insecticide mixtures

Abstract

Substantial quantities of agriculturally applied pesticides have been shown to become airborne during and after application operations. This unwanted feature of pesticide usage, referred to as off-site pesticide drift, results not only in loss of pest control but may result in potential exposure to workers and other individuals near agricultural sites (Seiber et al. 1980). This has produced a wave of public concern and in many cases a very negative opinion of pesticide chemicals. The concern of both public and regulatory agencies about the deposition of pesticides outside the target area and the potential health effects due to this exposure situation has been termed "chemical trespass". In the northeastern United States, the problem of chemical trespass has been amplified due to the rather limited areas used for agricultural purposes and to the relatively high population densities which exist around them (Van Driesche et al. 1987).