2
Pesticides, Organic Contaminants, and Pathogens in Air
It is urgent in this landscape to think and progress in a different way.
Encouragingly, the new U.S. administration, sworn in January of 2021, is
reinstating the United Sates into the Paris Agreement (an international effort
to curb the generation of greenhouse gases) and banning new oil pipelines
in Federal lands, signaling a renewed interest to improve the quality of air.
The implementation of FEW (food, energy, water) Nexus sustainability
guidelines has progressed worldwide. The premise of the FEW Nexus is to
consider the effects a technology developed for one sector will have on the
other sectors. For example, a new farming technique that promises to feed
more people must also consider the impacts it will have on water and energy
usage. In line with FEW Nexus principles, biopesticides and more robust
crops (both genetically engineered and traditionally bred) show promise for
future reductions in the environmental impact of agriculture. Most of the new
pesticides registered in the United States are biopesticides, and China has set
policies to encourage development and adoption of biopesticides and sustainable practices in its vast farming activities (Figure 1.1). However, in order to
feed the world’s growing population, especially those in economically developing nations like China, it is projected that use of synthetic pesticides will
increase substantially before biopesticides and complementary farming practices that reduce the use of synthetic pesticides become the norm.
This book is a compendium of over 30 years of research addressing contaminants in the air. Our work initiated and paved the way for being able to
examine the quality of ambient air by identifying and quantifying its contaminants, leading to comprehensive understanding of transport, fate, and
exposure of pesticides and toxics in air. It is a product of over three decades
of research, teaching, and outreach by our group and our cohorts at the
University of California, Davis; the University of Nevada, Reno; the United
States Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS);
and Arizona State University dating roughly from 1970 to 2010. Most of the
original research was in collaboration with scientists and agency personnel and has subsequently been published in peer-reviewed papers, reviews,
book chapters, dissertations, reports, and forums such as American Chemical
Society (ACS) symposia and other national and international venues.
1.2 Distribution and Fate of Pesticides in Air
It all started with a simple question: where do all the chemicals released into
the environment go? Some argued for water drainage to streams, ponds,
lakes, and oceans. Others for soil breakdown. Yet no one knew for certain.
We postulated air and transformation to be the missing elements. Chemicals
emitted directly to air, or those that volatilize slowly into air, break down
and become diluted in the huge volume of air and “disappear.” Simple, right?
Pesticides, Organic Contaminants, and Pathogens in Air
It is urgent in this landscape to think and progress in a different way.
Encouragingly, the new U.S. administration, sworn in January of 2021, is
reinstating the United Sates into the Paris Agreement (an international effort
to curb the generation of greenhouse gases) and banning new oil pipelines
in Federal lands, signaling a renewed interest to improve the quality of air.
The implementation of FEW (food, energy, water) Nexus sustainability
guidelines has progressed worldwide. The premise of the FEW Nexus is to
consider the effects a technology developed for one sector will have on the
other sectors. For example, a new farming technique that promises to feed
more people must also consider the impacts it will have on water and energy
usage. In line with FEW Nexus principles, biopesticides and more robust
crops (both genetically engineered and traditionally bred) show promise for
future reductions in the environmental impact of agriculture. Most of the new
pesticides registered in the United States are biopesticides, and China has set
policies to encourage development and adoption of biopesticides and sustainable practices in its vast farming activities (Figure 1.1). However, in order to
feed the world’s growing population, especially those in economically developing nations like China, it is projected that use of synthetic pesticides will
increase substantially before biopesticides and complementary farming practices that reduce the use of synthetic pesticides become the norm.
This book is a compendium of over 30 years of research addressing contaminants in the air. Our work initiated and paved the way for being able to
examine the quality of ambient air by identifying and quantifying its contaminants, leading to comprehensive understanding of transport, fate, and
exposure of pesticides and toxics in air. It is a product of over three decades
of research, teaching, and outreach by our group and our cohorts at the
University of California, Davis; the University of Nevada, Reno; the United
States Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS);
and Arizona State University dating roughly from 1970 to 2010. Most of the
original research was in collaboration with scientists and agency personnel and has subsequently been published in peer-reviewed papers, reviews,
book chapters, dissertations, reports, and forums such as American Chemical
Society (ACS) symposia and other national and international venues.
1.2 Distribution and Fate of Pesticides in Air
It all started with a simple question: where do all the chemicals released into
the environment go? Some argued for water drainage to streams, ponds,
lakes, and oceans. Others for soil breakdown. Yet no one knew for certain.
We postulated air and transformation to be the missing elements. Chemicals
emitted directly to air, or those that volatilize slowly into air, break down
and become diluted in the huge volume of air and “disappear.” Simple, right?