Author
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Hatfield, Jerry |
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Submitted to: Journal of Environmental Quality
Publication Type: Other Publication Acceptance Date: 3/3/2000 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: The focus of the workshop was to address the problem of "Fate of pesticides in the atmosphere with implications for risk assessment." The chapters are a series of articles by world-renowned scientists on pesticides in the atmosphere. Topics range from a discussion of atmospheric transport processes with a compilation of results from monitoring programs on pesticides in precipitation. These data compilations from a global perspective provide the type and amount of pesticides being detected in precipitation. The chapter on the volatilization processes is an excellent summary of the different micrometeorological methods that could be used to measure volatilization rates. Transformation processes of pesticides in the atmosphere provide an evaluation of what can happen to pesticides as they are volatilized into the atmosphere. The overall content of the book provides insights into the processes related to release from the earth's surface (volatilization), transport in the atmosphere (dispersion), change in the air (transformation), and finally deposition with precipitation. This information gives the reader an excellent summary of the current state of the science as well as the tools for making risk assessments. This book is primarily a reference book; however, the approach to addressing an environmental problem like fate of pesticides in the atmosphere provides a good example that could be used in risk assessment. The authors and editors are to be commended for their excellent work in bringing the workshop together and producing a valuable assessment of the current state of knowledge on pesticides in the atmosphere. |
