PT03 Landscape-Scale Ecological Risk Assessment
Exhibit Hall
8:00 AM - Tuesday, 11 November 2003
(PT048) Mapping the Co-Occurrence of Mosquitocides and Pesticides in Mississippi Aquatic Habitats.
Weston, J1, Slattery, M1, 1 University of Mississippi, University, MS, 38677
ABSTRACT- Throughout the United States there are concerns that mosquito-transmitted pathogens like West Nile Virus (WNV) will continue to pose a threat to human health if vectors are not controlled. For example from 2001 to 2002 there were significant increases in the following WNV statistics: number of states reporting WNV, from 10 to 44, number of human cases reported, from 66 to 4,156, and number of human deaths, from 9 to 284. In some agricultural areas during the summer growing season application of pesticides and mosquitocides can coincide creating an opportunity for these compounds to co-occur. It has been demonstrated that both mosquitocide and pesticide residues in aquatic habitats can affect non-target aquatic organisms. It is unclear what the ecotoxicological ramifications are when these compounds co-occur. As a preliminary step towards assessing the above aquatic condition we have attempted to map the co-occurrence of these compounds in local drainage areas using GIS based technology. Data on crop type and acres planted, agricultural pesticide and mosquitocide application concentrations per acre, runoff estimates, drainage hydrology and geomorphology and local environmental and climatic conditions were used to estimate compound occurrence in drainage habitats. Mapped areas exhibiting likely pesticide-mosquitocide co-occurrence have been highlighted for future field surveys to confirm the occurrence and assess concentrations. Guided by field observations environmentally relevant laboratory exposure studies will assess ecotoxicity to aquatic organisms. Results from our project should provide environmental risk information that program managers can include in assessing their programs.
Key words: mosquitocide, mosquito, pesticide, aquatic habitat