Pesticide and herbicide contamination refers to the presence and persistence of synthetic or natural plant protection chemicals and their transformation products in environmental compartments such as soil, surface water, groundwater, sediments, air, and biota. Research on this topic examines sources (agricultural runoff, spray drift, leaching, improper disposal), transport and fate processes (sorption–desorption, volatilization, photolysis, hydrolysis, biodegradation), and bioaccumulation and biomagnification in food webs. It also encompasses mixture toxicity, sublethal and chronic effects on non-target organisms, development of resistance, and the use of monitoring, risk assessment frameworks, and remediation or mitigation strategies to manage and reduce ecological and human health risks.
Environmental groups Thursday raised the alarm after finding toxic "pesticide cocktails" in apples sold across Europe, in a new study highlighting widespread contamination.
Agriculture
Jan 29, 2026
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16
Seventy percent of soils in Europe are contaminated with pesticides. A Europe-wide study co-led by researchers of the University of Zurich now shows that their effects on soil life are substantial, as pesticides suppress ...
Ecology
Jan 28, 2026
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221
In a new study of the continuing use in California of the pesticide methyl bromide, a known developmental, neurologic and respiratory toxin, researchers from UCLA and UC Irvine found that the compound is still in widespread ...
Environment
Jan 15, 2026
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16
Long-term exposure to low levels of a common agricultural pesticide can accelerate physiological aging and shorten lifespan in fish—a finding from new research led by University of Notre Dame biologist Jason Rohr with potentially ...
Plants & Animals
Jan 15, 2026
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22
A collaborative team of researchers from the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, the University of Florida, Gainesville and University of Iowa have developed tools that allow grasses—including major grain crops like corn—to ...
Biotechnology
Jan 6, 2026
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43
Pesticides and disinfection by-products are widely detected together in treated drinking water at trace levels worldwide. Both groups are associated with long-term health risks, including cytotoxicity and genotoxicity, raising ...
Environment
Dec 23, 2025
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20
Scientists at Rothamsted Research have discovered that three widely used pre-emergent herbicides—flufenacet, EPTC, and tri-allate—affect blackgrass (Alopecurus myosuroides) in strikingly different ways.
Plants & Animals
Dec 8, 2025
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10
Weed control is essential in apple orchards because weeds compete with trees for nutrients, water and sunlight, which can reduce fruit yields. However, physically removing weeds is not only labor-intensive, but it also can ...
Biotechnology
Dec 4, 2025
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22
In the heart of the Brazilian Amazon, the expansion of soy is not only transforming landscapes but also suffocating the communities that inhabit them. The intensive use of herbicides in soybean plantations— particularly glyphosate—has ...
Environment
Nov 17, 2025
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19
Plant protection products protect crops from pests, diseases and weeds. However, many of the fungicides, herbicides and insecticides also have a negative effect on terrestrial and aquatic organisms such as pollinators or ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 6, 2025
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