Pesticides are used in both agricultural and urban settings to manage unwanted plants, insects, fungi, and other pests. However, these substances and their breakdown products can move beyond their intended application sites through various means, ending up in areas where they weren't meant to be. This movement can happen via the air, through water (both surface and groundwater), and by sticking to soil or sediment particles. Depending on how long they stick around and how concentrated they are, pesticides can harm aquatic creatures and people. To grasp the risks associated with pesticide exposure, it's crucial to comprehend how these chemicals move and behave in the environment.
Neonicotinoid Seed Treatment Study
Neonicotinoids are a new class of insecticides chemically related to nicotine. Like nicotine, they act on receptors in the nerves and are generally much more toxic to insects, than they are to mammals and other higher organisms. Their use has increased rapidly over the last decade, driven in large part by their use for seed coating.
USGS Environmental Health Science
In the Pesticide Fate Research Group Laboratory, we see a scientist using an instrument to identify unknown organic compounds in environmental samples. It gives exact masses of chemical compounds, allowing scientists to decipher the elemental composition of a compound, and the chemical structure, without ever having known what they were looking for in the first place.
Organic Chemistry Research Laboratory
The Organic Chemistry Research Laboratory is comprised of multidisciplinary scientists with experiences in method development, sample collection, sample preparation, and instrumental analysis. The lab is equipped with instrumentation for the identification and quantification of trace level organic contaminants in water, sediment, soil, plants, biota, etc.
The Pesticide Fate Research Group (PFRG) operates within the USGS California Water Science Center, focusing on evaluating the occurrence, fate, and transport of current-use pesticides and organic contaminants in both aquatic and terrestrial environments across California and the nation. Comprising chemists, hydrologists, and physical scientists with specialized expertise, the PFRG engages in all stages of research, from field study design and sampling to analytical method development across various matrices such as water, sediment, plants, and biota. Utilizing cutting-edge instrumentation, the group conducts sample analysis, interprets data, manages information, and communicates findings to diverse stakeholders.
While pesticides represent the primary research domain, the PFRG's capabilities extend to investigating a broader spectrum of organic chemicals, including disinfection by-products, substances linked to cannabis production, alkylphenols, and others. By leveraging their skills and analytical prowess, the group addresses a wide array of environmental contaminants.
Establishing collaborative partnerships with state agencies, academic researchers, and fellow scientists within the USGS and other federal entities is central to the PFRG's approach. Funding for projects stems from various sources, including USGS mission areas such as Environmental Health (including the Toxic Substances Hydrology Program and Contaminant Biology Program), Ecosystems, and Water, as well as support from other USGS Water Science Centers and cooperating entities like the California State Department of Pesticide Regulation, Water Resources Control Board, Department of Water Resources, among others.
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Data releases in ScienceBase are primarily focused on raw and processed data resulting from various research activities. The primary goal of these data releases is to make the data collected by USGS scientists accessible and usable. This open data approach facilitates transparency, reproducibility, and further research by allowing others to analyze, reinterpret, or build upon the original data.
USGS publications serve as authoritative sources of information for scientists, policymakers, educators, and the general public, contributing significantly to our understanding of the earth's processes, landscape changes, resource management, and environmental health. The accessibility of these publications ensures that the valuable insights and findings from the USGS are widely available.
Occurrence of contaminants of emerging concern along the California coast (2009-10) using passive sampling devices
Environmental fate of fungicides and other current-use pesticides in a central California estuary
Dissolved pesticide concentrations in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and Grizzly Bay, California, 2011-12
Accumulation of pesticides in pacific chorus frogs (Pseudacris regilla) from California's Sierra Nevada Mountains, USA
A compilation of U.S. Geological Survey pesticide concentration data for water and sediment in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta region: 1990–2010
Occurrence and persistence of fungicides in bed sediments and suspended solids from three targeted use areas in the United States
Contaminants in stream sediments from seven United States metropolitan areas: part I: distribution in relation to urbanization
Contaminants in stream sediments from seven United States metropolitan areas: part II—sediment toxicity to the amphipod Hyalella azteca and the midge Chironomus dilutus
Understanding pesticides in California's Delta
Occurrence and potential sources of pyrethroid insecticides in stream sediments from seven U.S. metropolitan areas
Occurrence of pesticides in water and sediment collected from amphibian habitats located throughout the United States, 2009-10
Prioritizing pesticide compounds for analytical methods development
Below are news stories associated with this project.
Below are partners associated with this project.
Pesticides are used in both agricultural and urban settings to manage unwanted plants, insects, fungi, and other pests. However, these substances and their breakdown products can move beyond their intended application sites through various means, ending up in areas where they weren't meant to be. This movement can happen via the air, through water (both surface and groundwater), and by sticking to soil or sediment particles. Depending on how long they stick around and how concentrated they are, pesticides can harm aquatic creatures and people. To grasp the risks associated with pesticide exposure, it's crucial to comprehend how these chemicals move and behave in the environment.
Neonicotinoid Seed Treatment Study
Neonicotinoids are a new class of insecticides chemically related to nicotine. Like nicotine, they act on receptors in the nerves and are generally much more toxic to insects, than they are to mammals and other higher organisms. Their use has increased rapidly over the last decade, driven in large part by their use for seed coating.
USGS Environmental Health Science
In the Pesticide Fate Research Group Laboratory, we see a scientist using an instrument to identify unknown organic compounds in environmental samples. It gives exact masses of chemical compounds, allowing scientists to decipher the elemental composition of a compound, and the chemical structure, without ever having known what they were looking for in the first place.
Organic Chemistry Research Laboratory
The Organic Chemistry Research Laboratory is comprised of multidisciplinary scientists with experiences in method development, sample collection, sample preparation, and instrumental analysis. The lab is equipped with instrumentation for the identification and quantification of trace level organic contaminants in water, sediment, soil, plants, biota, etc.
The Pesticide Fate Research Group (PFRG) operates within the USGS California Water Science Center, focusing on evaluating the occurrence, fate, and transport of current-use pesticides and organic contaminants in both aquatic and terrestrial environments across California and the nation. Comprising chemists, hydrologists, and physical scientists with specialized expertise, the PFRG engages in all stages of research, from field study design and sampling to analytical method development across various matrices such as water, sediment, plants, and biota. Utilizing cutting-edge instrumentation, the group conducts sample analysis, interprets data, manages information, and communicates findings to diverse stakeholders.
While pesticides represent the primary research domain, the PFRG's capabilities extend to investigating a broader spectrum of organic chemicals, including disinfection by-products, substances linked to cannabis production, alkylphenols, and others. By leveraging their skills and analytical prowess, the group addresses a wide array of environmental contaminants.
Establishing collaborative partnerships with state agencies, academic researchers, and fellow scientists within the USGS and other federal entities is central to the PFRG's approach. Funding for projects stems from various sources, including USGS mission areas such as Environmental Health (including the Toxic Substances Hydrology Program and Contaminant Biology Program), Ecosystems, and Water, as well as support from other USGS Water Science Centers and cooperating entities like the California State Department of Pesticide Regulation, Water Resources Control Board, Department of Water Resources, among others.
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Data releases in ScienceBase are primarily focused on raw and processed data resulting from various research activities. The primary goal of these data releases is to make the data collected by USGS scientists accessible and usable. This open data approach facilitates transparency, reproducibility, and further research by allowing others to analyze, reinterpret, or build upon the original data.
USGS publications serve as authoritative sources of information for scientists, policymakers, educators, and the general public, contributing significantly to our understanding of the earth's processes, landscape changes, resource management, and environmental health. The accessibility of these publications ensures that the valuable insights and findings from the USGS are widely available.
Occurrence of contaminants of emerging concern along the California coast (2009-10) using passive sampling devices
Environmental fate of fungicides and other current-use pesticides in a central California estuary
Dissolved pesticide concentrations in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and Grizzly Bay, California, 2011-12
Accumulation of pesticides in pacific chorus frogs (Pseudacris regilla) from California's Sierra Nevada Mountains, USA
A compilation of U.S. Geological Survey pesticide concentration data for water and sediment in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta region: 1990–2010
Occurrence and persistence of fungicides in bed sediments and suspended solids from three targeted use areas in the United States
Contaminants in stream sediments from seven United States metropolitan areas: part I: distribution in relation to urbanization
Contaminants in stream sediments from seven United States metropolitan areas: part II—sediment toxicity to the amphipod Hyalella azteca and the midge Chironomus dilutus
Understanding pesticides in California's Delta
Occurrence and potential sources of pyrethroid insecticides in stream sediments from seven U.S. metropolitan areas
Occurrence of pesticides in water and sediment collected from amphibian habitats located throughout the United States, 2009-10
Prioritizing pesticide compounds for analytical methods development
Below are news stories associated with this project.
Below are partners associated with this project.