What are the harmful effects of water polluted by pesticides on the aquatic ecosystem ?
Depends on the type and concentration of the pesticides.
Google: e.g.
"Peer review of the pesticide risk assessment of the active substance dimethoate"
(you can change the name of the active substance)
and have a look to the ecotoxicological part.
It depends on those basic factors such as dose-time relationship, exposure routes, what species and metabolic pathways etc
Death of the organism.
· Cancers, tumours and lesions on fish and animals.
· Reproductive inhibition or failure.
· Suppression of immune system.
· Disruption of endocrine (hormonal) system.
· Cellular and DNA damage.
· Teratogenic effects (physical deformities such as hooked beaks on birds).
· Poor fish health marked by low red to white blood cell ratio, excessive slime on fish scales and gills, etc.
· Inter-generational effects (effects are not apparent until subsequent generations of the organism).
· Other physiological effects such as egg shell thinning.
Have a look at this reading for more info: http://www.fao.org/3/w2598e/w2598e07.htm
With such a pollution there is a modification/destruction of the food chain of many species of insects, birds, fishes and a possible contamination of the drinking water for human and other warm blooded animals
Hi,
It depends on the type of pesticide,
since, pesticides have their own characteristics such as,
- Chemical structure
- Water solubility and polarity
- Volatility
- Formulations
If pesticides retain in water or aquatic environment longer time and depends on environmental factors such as,
- Type of species and their tolerable limits (fauna and flora)
- Concentration of pesticides in the environment
- Exposure time of species
- Metabolic pathways
If all above factors influence on aquatic environment, destruction can be happen in several ways.
- Death of both fauna and flora
- Reproductive failure and developing Cancers in aquatic animals
- Changing of food cycle
- Changing of habitats
Best regards
Yohan
There are many types of pesticides in use. Each pesticide has different effect. So, for your question, it depends on the type of pesticide which is polluting the water.
Pesticides are substances used to repel, kill, or control certain forms of plant or animal life that are considered to be pests. Pesticides contain Organophosphates & Carbamates or Organochlorine compounds. Both surface and underground water can be polluted with pesticides by direct washing from the farms due rainwater or surface runoff, or by leaching through soils.
The immediate or acute health effects include irritation of the nose, throat, and skin causing burning, stinging and itching as well as rashes and blisters. Others are nausea, dizziness and diarrhea.
The chronic health effects of pesticides to both adult adult and children include; brain and endocrine disruption, leukemia, lymphoma and cancers of the brain, breasts, prostate, testis and ovaries.
dear F. Bouteldjaoui
Pesticides alter both physical and chemical properties of water such as oxygen carrying capacity,turbidity and pH of water and effects growth, reproduction, movement, malfunction of organ such as eye and kidney, disturb the normal distribution and causes change in behavior of aquatic organisms such invertebrate as well as vertebrates such as fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.you can also see the following links:
https://blogs.umass.edu/natsci397a-eross/the-effect-of-pesticides-on-water-quality/ .
https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/420/420-013/420-013.html
In general pesticides and insecticide are toxic and when contact in water may give serious health problem to human and animals.
Water pollution due to pesticides causes:
1. Decreases the self purification capacity of streams by killing microorganisms helping in degradation of oxidizable organic matter.
2. Adversely affects aquatic biodiversity by causing imbalance, mortality, reproduction , respiration etc
3. Deteriorates water quality for various purposes.
4.Responsible for various waterborn diseases.
5. Responsible for bioaccumulation and biomagnification of pesticides in aquatic organisms and organisms depending on them.
6 . Responsible for aquatic toxicity.
Hello Dr Neda Ravankhah
Thank you very much for your answers and detailed explanations
Best regards
Fatah BOUTELDJAOUI
The biggest threats posed by pesticides is bio-accumulation and bio-magnification in the system as well as the aquatic organisms. This not only causes heavy biodiversity losses but have an adverse effect on the endocrine system of the aquatic organisms especially fish. Being potential endocrine disruptors pesticide cause delay gondal maturity which in-turn have a great effect on the breeding and recruitment pattern. Pesticides concentrations above permissible level can cause oxidative damage to fish tissues, histopathological alterations and mutagenic changes. There is a long list. If you are still more interested i can forward you my research on pesticides.
Thankyou
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