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The Ebro River Basin pp 259–274Cite as

Pesticides at The Ebro River Delta: Occurrence and Toxicity in Water and Biota

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Part of the book series: The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry ((HEC,volume 13))

Abstract

Pesticide use has increased worldwide to protect the food supply of the swelling global population. Although it is undisputed that pesticides are essential in modern agriculture, there is a growing concern about environmental contamination from agrochemicals. For example, application of pesticides in the Ebro River delta (NE, Spain) during the rice-growing season is suspected to be one of the major causes behind the shellfish mortality episodes that occur yearly in this area at springtime. In an attempt to disclose the causes of these seafood mortality episodes, this chapter presents the results obtained from a monitoring study carried out in April–June 2008 in the Ebro River delta (NE, Spain), where surface water and seafood samples were analyzed for both toxicity and pesticides. The main conclusion of this study was that pesticides are likely responsible, together with other not investigated parameters, such as metals, for the observed mortality. The results obtained are discussed also in relation to others previously published for the same or other similar areas.

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Acknowledgments

This work has been supported by the Catalan Water Agency and by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the projects SCARCE (Consolider-Ingenio 2010 CSD2009-00065) and CEMAGUA (CGL2007-64551/HID). Merck is acknowledged for the gift of LC columns and Biotage for the gift of SPE cartridges. Marianne Köck gratefully acknowledges the European Social Fund and AGAUR (Generalitat de Catalunya, Spain) for their economical support through a FI predoctoral grant.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. IDAEA-CSIC, c/Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034, Barcelona, Spain

    Marianne Köck-Schulmeyer, Miren Lopez de Alda, Elena Martínez, Marinella Farré, Asunción Navarro & Antoni Ginebreda

  2. ICRA Scientific and Technological Park of the University of Girona, Emili Grahit, 101, 17003, Girona, Spain

    Damià Barceló

  3. IDAEA-SIC, c/Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034, Barcelona, Spain

    Damià Barceló

Authors
  1. Marianne Köck-Schulmeyer
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  2. Miren Lopez de Alda
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  3. Elena Martínez
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  4. Marinella Farré
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  5. Asunción Navarro
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  6. Antoni Ginebreda
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  7. Damià Barceló
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Miren Lopez de Alda .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Department of Environmental Chemistry, IDAEA-CSIC, c/Jordi Girona 18-26, Barcelona, 08034, Spain

    Damià Barceló

  2. , Department of Environmental Chemistry, IDAEA-CSIC, Jordi Girona 18-26, Barcelona, 08034, Spain

    Mira Petrovic

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Köck-Schulmeyer, M. et al. (2010). Pesticides at The Ebro River Delta: Occurrence and Toxicity in Water and Biota. In: Barceló, D., Petrovic, M. (eds) The Ebro River Basin. The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry(), vol 13. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/698_2010_89

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