{ "id": "http://connectivity-hub.com/terms/8b3ffb87-4665-4aba-97a4-d6196fad4252", "type": "Concept", "prefLabel": { "en": "Hazardous Pesticide Contamination in Soils" }, "altLabel": { "en": [ "Contaminated land", "Soil contamination", "Soil pollution", "Special sites", "‘Brownfield’ sites" ] }, "definition": { "en": "Hazardous pesticide contamination in soils often results from improper storage of (obsolete) agrochemicals, as a result of which pesticides are spilled in the surroundings of the storage site, where they seep into the soil or are dispersed by wind. In some cases, pesticide spillage has been ongoing for many years. Such spillage may cause serious soil or groundwater contamination. In addition, highly toxic and persistent compounds have been used in agriculture for decades to control pests and diseases, which are proven to cause harm to non-target species. Although international agreements are put in place to regulate the production and use of those highly toxic and persistent compounds they will still remain in soils for several more decades. Moreover, in some countries, the international agreements are not yet being implemented or fully implemented, and therefore toxic pesticides are still being used. When soil and groundwater are contaminated, crops, livestock and drinking water may become affected and, when they are consumed by people, health risks may occur (FAO, 2000).

FAO, 2000. Assessing Soil Contamination: A reference manual. FAO Pesticide Disposal Series 8. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Accessed 29 October 2020.

" }, "editorialNote": { "en": [ "source:UNDRR HIPS" ] }, "scopeNote": { "en": [ "Human activities over thousands of years have left a legacy of polluted soils worldwide. Much of it is local soil contamination, which frequently occurs in connection with past and present industrial activities, waste management and disposal, including remnants of hazardous materials such as obsolete pesticides. The unsustainable application of pesticides in agricultural fields has also contributed to the spread of diffuse pollution in many areas (FAO, 2018). Half a million tonnes of obsolete pesticides are scattered throughout the developing world. These toxic chemicals, often stored outdoors in leaking containers, are seeping into the soil and water. Eliminating these dangerous stocks is a development priority. Rural communities cannot hope to develop if the soil and water are contaminated with pesticides. People cannot hope to prosper if they are suffering from severe illnesses caused by pesticide poisoning. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Programme on the Prevention and Disposal of Obsolete Pesticides is working to inform the world about the dangers of obsolete pesticide stocks. It collaborates with developing countries to prevent more obsolete pesticides from accumulating and assists them in disposing of their existing stockpiles (FAO, no date a). Obsolete pesticides include insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, larvicides, acaricides, rodenticides, molluscides, nematocides, and aphicides. Around a thousand active ingredients are used to manufacture the wide array of pesticides in countries all over the world. Pesticide ingredients come in many thousands of different formulations. All these formulations degrade over time although some are more persistent in the environment than others. The chemical by-products that form as the pesticide deteriorates can be more toxic than the original product (FAO, no date b). Once pesticides enter soil, their fate depends on the physico-chemical characteristics of the soil, such as moisture, texture, and soil organic matter content, as well as the pesticide properties. A relatively small amount of spilled pesticides can therefore create a much larger volume of polluted soil. For example, approximately 30 tonnes of pesticides buried at a site in Yemen in the 1980s contaminated over 1500 tonnes of soil. This can pose a serious health and environmental threat to nearby communities (FAO, no date c). Every site is different. First, the extent of the contamination and the impact on the local environment must be determined. This requires an understanding of the chemical properties of the pesticides and the characteristics of the soil. Often the quantity of pesticides is unknown, and soil samples must be analysed. Depending on the results of the chemical analysis and risk assessment, there are three ways of dealing with polluted soil and water: (i) removing the contamination by excavating the soil and pumping-up of groundwater; (ii) containing the contamination by covering polluted soil with buildings, asphalt or another impermeable layer, and preventing contaminated groundwater from flowing downstream; and (iii) preventing human contact with the contamination by covering the polluted soil with clean soil, fencing-off polluted areas and closing contaminated wells (FAO, no date c). Removing pollution is more expensive than containing it, which in turn is more expensive than taking protective measures. Additionally, excavated polluted soil represents a hazardous waste that needs to be properly managed to avoid the pollution being transferred to other areas. Containment and protective measures are effective only for as long as they are maintained, and their proper maintenance may be difficult to ensure over a long period of time (FAO, no date c). The FAO has published a reference manual for assessing soil contamination to help developing countries make sound decisions about how to deal with the problem in the most cost-effective manner. The FAO is also working to develop cost-effective methods for dealing with pesticide contaminated soil in developing countries (FAO, 2000). Wherever pesticides are used, there are discarded pesticide containers. These old containers can be as dangerous as the pesticides themselves. In developing countries, they are often used to store food or water. The FAO’s Programme on the Prevention and Disposal of Obsolete Pesticides assists developing countries in dealing with these toxic containers (FAO, no date c). Despite the identification efforts conducted in many regions of the world to estimate the extent of soil pollution, the lack of a global assessment presents an obstacle to the mobilisation of economic resources to minimise soil pollution and to achieving public and private commitment to combating soil pollution. Stronger linkages between scientific evidence and decision-making processes are required to support actions to prevent, control and remediate soil pollution (FAO, 2018). Contaminated land is assessed in the context of national or state methods for deriving soil guidance values. There is no international standard. For example, Jennings (2013) compared the range of American standards with standards used elsewhere in the world. 5949 guidance values for 57 elements were identified across the US regulatory authorities and it was established that guidance values have also been published in at least 71 other United Nations member states." ] }, "broader": { "id": "http://connectivity-hub.com/terms/ccc8fa57-e987-4980-9224-069ba7e619ee", "prefLabel": { "en": "Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)" } }, "inScheme": [ { "id": "http://connectivity-hub.com/terms/", "title": { "en": "Climate Connectivity Taxonomy" } } ], "inSchemeAll": [ { "id": "http://connectivity-hub.com/terms/" } ], "@context": { "@version": 1.1, "id": "@id", "type": "@type", "@vocab": "http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core#", "xsd": "http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#", "dct": "http://purl.org/dc/terms/", "dc": "http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/", "schema": "https://schema.org/", "vann": "http://purl.org/vocab/vann/", "ldp": "http://www.w3.org/ns/ldp#", "owl": "http://www.w3.org/2002/07/owl#", "title": { "@id": "dct:title", "@container": "@language" }, "dc:title": { "@id": "dc:title", "@container": "@language" }, "dc:description": { "@id": "dc:description", "@container": "@language" }, "description": { "@id": "dct:description", "@container": "@language" }, "license": { "@id": "dct:license", "@container": "@language" }, "issued": { "@id": "dct:issued", "@type": "xsd:date" }, "created": { "@id": "dct:created", "@type": "xsd:date" }, "modified": { "@id": "dct:modified", "@type": "xsd:date" }, "creator": "dct:creator", "publisher": "dct:publisher", "preferredNamespacePrefix": "vann:preferredNamespacePrefix", "preferredNamespaceUri": "vann:preferredNamespaceUri", "isBasedOn": "schema:isBasedOn", "source": "dct:source", "prefLabel": { "@container": "@language" }, "altLabel": { "@container": [ "@language", "@set" ] }, "hiddenLabel": { "@container": [ "@language", "@set" ] }, "definition": { "@container": "@language" }, "note": { "@container": [ "@language", "@set" ] }, "changeNote": { "@container": [ "@language", "@set" ] }, "editorialNote": { "@container": [ "@language", "@set" ] }, "historyNote": { "@container": [ "@language", "@set" ] }, "scopeNote": { "@container": [ "@language", "@set" ] }, "notation": { "@container": "@set" }, "example": { "@container": "@language" }, "narrower": { "@container": "@set" }, "related": { "@container": "@set" }, "relatedMatch": { "@container": "@set" }, "narrowerTransitive": { "@container": "@set" }, "broaderTransitive": { "@container": "@set" }, "broadMatch": { "@container": "@set" }, "narrowMatch": { "@container": "@set" }, "closeMatch": { "@container": "@set" }, "exactMatch": { "@container": "@set" }, "hasTopConcept": { "@container": "@set" }, "inScheme": { "@container": "@set" }, "topConceptOf": { "@container": "@set" }, "deprecated": { "@id": "owl:deprecated", "@type": "xsd:boolean" }, "isReplacedBy": { "@id": "dct:isReplacedBy", "@container": "@set" } } }