Pesticide Fate Research Group (PFRG) Active
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.
Neonicotinoid Seed Treatment Study
Occurrence of Current-use Pesticides in Suisun Bay and Potential Effects on Phytoplankton
Pesticide Studies in the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta and San Francisco Bay Estuary
Pyrethroids
Pesticide Occurrence in California – Yolo Bypass Pesticide Analyses
Delta Regional Monitoring Program: Current-use Pesticides
Coordinated Pesticide Reconnaissance Study of Surface Waters in California
Pesticides in Suspended Sediment of the Alamo and New Rivers
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.
Pesticides in small volume plasma samples
Pesticide Concentrations Measured in Zooplankton Samples Collected from the Sacramento River and Yolo Bypass, California, 2021
Multiresidue extraction of current-use pesticides from complex solid matrices using energized dispersive extraction with analysis by gas and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectroscopy
Pesticide concentrations in bees and other matrices collected from sunflower fields (with and without a neonicotinoid seed treatment) near Sacramento, California
Concentrations of pesticides in silicone bands as passive samplers and sediment in Pinnacles National Park and Bureau of Land Management lands in San Benito County, California, 2019-2021
Pesticide detections in streams throughout the foothills of the Sierra Nevada range using passive samplers from 2017 to 2019
Insecticide and fungicide concentrations in irrigation runoff and soils from a lettuce field in the Salinas Valley, California, 2019 and 2020
Pesticide concentrations in surface waters of the Sacramento Valley rice-growing regions, 2010
Partitioning of six pyrethroid insecticides at varying salinities
Fungicides in nectar and pollen collected by bumble bees in a cherry orchard
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.
Pesticides in small volume plasma samples: Method development and application to smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) from the Chesapeake Bay watershed, USA
Neonicotinoid sunflower seed treatment, while not detected in pollen and nectar, still impacts wild bees and crop yield
Multiresidue extraction of current-use pesticides from complex solid matrices using energized dispersive guided extraction with analysis by gas and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectroscopy
Watershed-scale risk to aquatic organisms from complex chemical mixtures in the Shenandoah River
Juvenile African clawed frogs (Xenopus laevis) express growth, metamorphosis, mortality, gene expression, and metabolic changes when exposed to thiamethoxam and clothianidin
The silence of the clams: Forestry registered pesticides as multiple stressors on soft-shell clams
Impacts of neonicotinoid seed treatments on the wild bee community in agricultural field margins
Assessing the ecological functionality and integrity of natural ponds, excavated ponds and stormwater basins for conserving amphibian diversity
Evaluation of ELISA for the analysis of imidacloprid in biological matrices: Cross-reactivities, matrix interferences, and comparison to LC-MS/MS
Cyprosulfamide: Analysis of the herbicide safener and two of its degradates in surface water and groundwater from the Midwestern United States
Pilot-scale expanded assessment of inorganic and organic tapwater exposures and predicted effects in Puerto Rico, USA
Cross-ecosystem fluxes of pesticides from prairie wetlands mediated by aquatic insect emergence: Implications for terrestrial insectivores
Below are news stories associated with this project.
Below are partners associated with this project.
- Overview
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 StudyNeonicotinoids 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 ScienceIn 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 LaboratoryThe 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.
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
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. Seed coating is when a seed is treated with an insecticide prior...Occurrence of Current-use Pesticides in Suisun Bay and Potential Effects on Phytoplankton
Suisun Bay is an area identified as critical habitat for the threatened Delta Smelt. Several important changes in the pelagic food web of this area have been documented over the last two decades indicating that food for Delta Smelt and other threatened fishes is in short.Pesticide Studies in the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta and San Francisco Bay Estuary
The objectives of this specific study are to characterize the mixtures of current-use pesticides and pesticide degradates entering the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta from its two main river sources over a period of 12 consecutive months.Pyrethroids
Pyrethroid insecticide use in California has been increasing in recent years. Pyrethroids are used in both agricultural and urban areas. They are of environmental concern because of their high toxicity to fish and invertebrates.Pesticide Occurrence in California – Yolo Bypass Pesticide Analyses
The project is part of an overarching Interagency Ecological Program (IEP)/Department of Water Resources (DWR) study that is focused on understanding the processes by which the Yolo Bypass may provide a fall food web supply for the Cache Slough Complex and downstream regions of the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta. Several studies conducted since 2011 have shown that phytoplankton blooms can be...Delta Regional Monitoring Program: Current-use Pesticides
This study will utilize the unique analytical capabilities of the USGS Pesticide Fate Research Group (PFRG), Organic Chemistry Research Laboratory (OCRL) to assess the occurrence of a large suite of understudied, current-use pesticides and pesticide degradates in surface waters entering the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta.Coordinated Pesticide Reconnaissance Study of Surface Waters in California
Pesticides are used throughout the State of California in both urban and agricultural settings and are routinely detected in surface water. Each year, new pesticides are introduced to the market and often become detected in surface water. It can take several years or more for routine monitoring programs to acquire the capability to detect new and understudied pesticides of concern because...Pesticides in Suspended Sediment of the Alamo and New Rivers
Previous studies have detected current-use pesticides and DDT metabolites in water and suspended sediments from the Alamo and New Rivers. Additional studies have found water samples from both rivers to be toxic to aquatic organisms in laboratory bioassays, and implicated certain current-use pesticides as the source of this toxicity. Recent requirements under the Clean Water Act for the Regional... - Data
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.
Pesticides in small volume plasma samples
Pesticides are widely applied and can enter the environment, potentially effecting non-target organisms. To better evaluate pesticide exposure using non-lethal techniques, a method was developed for the extraction of pesticides and their degradates from small (100 µL) volume plasma samples. Solid phase extraction was used for lipid removal after plasma samples were protein precipitated. Samples wePesticide Concentrations Measured in Zooplankton Samples Collected from the Sacramento River and Yolo Bypass, California, 2021
Zooplankton samples were collected at one site upstream of the Yolo Bypass in Northern California, three sites within the Bypass, and at a comparison site on the Sacramento River below the city of Sacramento and analyzed for a large suite of current-use pesticides and degradates. Samples were collected every two weeks from early August 2021 to mid-October 2021. Samples were collected by towing a 1Multiresidue extraction of current-use pesticides from complex solid matrices using energized dispersive extraction with analysis by gas and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectroscopy
A multiresidue method for solids (i.e., soil, sediment, sludge) was developed and evaluated for the analysis of pesticides and pesticide degradates. Initially, a well characterized soil was used to determine the recovery of target compounds using an Energized Dispersive Guided Extraction (EDGE) system with two extraction solvents, acetonitrile and 1:1 (v/v) hexane:acetone. Extracts were cleaned usPesticide concentrations in bees and other matrices collected from sunflower fields (with and without a neonicotinoid seed treatment) near Sacramento, California
Hybrid sunflower production occurs near Sacramento in Northern California where seed treatments are commonly used. In this study, four locations were sampled in 2016 as matched pairs; half of each field was sown with thiamethoxam treated seed and half without. In addition to the thiamethoxam seed treatment, all seeds were coated with two fungicides, fludioxonil and mefenoxam/metalaxyl. Both wild bConcentrations of pesticides in silicone bands as passive samplers and sediment in Pinnacles National Park and Bureau of Land Management lands in San Benito County, California, 2019-2021
To better understand the potential pesticide exposure, samples were collected from locations along two creeks in Pinnacles National Park and four creeks in nearby Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands. Silicone bands were used as passive sampling devices (PSD) staked in the creek and above in the air (above the water line). Sampling was conducted in the summer from 2019 to 2021. PSDs were deployedPesticide detections in streams throughout the foothills of the Sierra Nevada range using passive samplers from 2017 to 2019
This dataset was produced from analyzing Affinisep SDB-RPS, Affinisep HLB, and Restek Resprep C18 disks that were deployed with the use of Chemcatcherďż˝ passive sampling devices. Silicone bands were also deployed and used for exploring economical methods of sampling for pesticides in surface water. Sampling assemblies were deployed in streams throughout the foothills of the Sierra Nevada range andInsecticide and fungicide concentrations in irrigation runoff and soils from a lettuce field in the Salinas Valley, California, 2019 and 2020
Irrigation runoff and soil samples were collected from a lettuce field located at the USDA-ARS Spence Research farm in the Salinas Valley, California to measure neonicotinoid insecticides (clothianidin and imidacloprid) and a fungicide (azoxystrobin) applied via coated seed and drench treatments. The field trial was designed to evaluate four treatments with replication: 1) control, untreated seed,Pesticide concentrations in surface waters of the Sacramento Valley rice-growing regions, 2010
Surface water samples were collected from four stream/agricultural drain sites in the Sacramento Valley of California to measure pesticides commonly applied to rice. Samples were collected weekly from May through August 2010 to capture the rice pesticide application season. Water samples were filtered (0.7 ?m) and extracted via solid-phase extraction. Additionally, the filter paper was solvent extPartitioning of six pyrethroid insecticides at varying salinities
To determine aqueous pyrethroid partitioning across a salinity gradient 20 mL Pyrex beakers were filled with 8 mL of deionized water at varying salinities (0, 0.5, 2, 6 ppt). Salinity was adjusted using a 10 ppt stock solution (made by diluting Instant Ocean into deionized water). The water samples were spiked with pyrethroids (bifenthrin, cyhalothrin, cyfluthrin, cypermethrin, deltamethrin, esfenFungicides in nectar and pollen collected by bumble bees in a cherry orchard
Lab-reared colonies of Bombus huntii (Hunt bumble bee) were deployed in a commercial cherry orchard in the spring of 2016. A fungicide formulation containing boscalid (25.2%) and pyraclostrobin (12.8%) was applied one time at the recommended label rate. Nectar and pollen were collected daily, beginning two days before spray application and continuing for ten days following. Nectar samples were ext - Publications
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.
Filter Total Items: 106Pesticides in small volume plasma samples: Method development and application to smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) from the Chesapeake Bay watershed, USA
Nontarget organisms are exposed to pesticides following applications in agricultural and urban settings, potentially resulting in deleterious effects. Direct measurements of pesticides in biological tissues may aid in characterizing exposure, accumulation, and potential toxicity versus analyses in environmental media alone (e.g., water, soil, and air). Plasma represents a nonlethal sampling mediumAuthorsMichael S. Gross, Vicki S. Blazer, Michelle HladikNeonicotinoid sunflower seed treatment, while not detected in pollen and nectar, still impacts wild bees and crop yield
Neonicotinoid seed treatments are commonly used in agricultural production even though their benefit to crop yield and their impact on pollinators, particularly wild bees, remains unclear. Using an on-farm matched pair design in which half of each field was sown with thiamethoxam treated seed and half without, we assessed honey bee and wild bee exposure to pesticides in sunflower fields by analyziAuthorsLaura T. Ward, Michelle Hladik, Aidee Guzman, Ariana Bautista, Nicholas MillsMultiresidue extraction of current-use pesticides from complex solid matrices using energized dispersive guided extraction with analysis by gas and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectroscopy
The development of sample processing techniques that recover a broad suite of pesticides from solid matrices, while mitigating coextracted matrix interferences, and reducing processing time is beneficial for high throughput analyses. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an automated extraction system for pesticide analyses in solid environmental samples. An Energized DiAuthorsGabrielle Pecora Black, Emily Woodward, Corey Sanders, Michael S. Gross, Michelle HladikWatershed-scale risk to aquatic organisms from complex chemical mixtures in the Shenandoah River
River waters contain complex chemical mixtures derived from natural and anthropogenic sources. Aquatic organisms are exposed to the entire chemical composition of the water, resulting in potential effects at the organismal through ecosystem level. This study applied a holistic approach to assess landscape, hydrological, chemical, and biological variables. On-site mobile laboratory experiments wereAuthorsLarry Barber, Kaycee E. Faunce, David Bertolatus, Michelle Hladik, Jeramy Jasmann, Steffanie H. Keefe, Dana W. Kolpin, Michael T. Meyer, Jennifer L. Rapp, David A. Roth, Alan M. VajdaJuvenile African clawed frogs (Xenopus laevis) express growth, metamorphosis, mortality, gene expression, and metabolic changes when exposed to thiamethoxam and clothianidin
Neonicotinoids (NEO) represent the main class of insecticides currently in use, with thiamethoxam (THX) and clothianidin (CLO) primarily applied agriculturally. With few comprehensive studies having been performed with non-target amphibians, the aim was to investigate potential biomarker responses along an adverse outcome pathway of NEO exposure, whereby data were collected on multiple biologicalAuthorsJill Jenkins, Katherine R. Hartop, Ghadeer Bukhari, Debra E. Howton, Kelly L. Smalling, Scott Mize, Michelle Hladik, Darren Johnson, Rassa Dale, Bonnie L. BrownThe silence of the clams: Forestry registered pesticides as multiple stressors on soft-shell clams
Contaminants are ubiquitous in the environment, often reaching aquatic systems. Combinations of forestry use pesticides have been detected in both water and aquatic organism tissue samples in coastal systems. Yet, most toxicological studies focus on the effects of these pesticides individually, at high doses, and over acute time periods, which, while key for establishing toxicity and safe limits,AuthorsAlexandra G. Tissot, Elise F. Granek, Anne W Thompson, Michelle Hladik, Patrick W. Moran, Kaegen Scully-EngelmeyerImpacts of neonicotinoid seed treatments on the wild bee community in agricultural field margins
Wild bees support global agroecosystems via pollination of agricultural crops and maintaining diverse plant communities. However, with an increased reliance on pesticides to enhance crop production, wild bee communities may inadvertently be affected through exposure to chemical residues. Laboratory and semi-field studies have demonstrated lethal and sublethal effects of neonicotinoids on limited gAuthorsAnson R. Main, Elisabeth B. Webb, Keith W. Goyne, Robert Abney, Doreen C. MengelAssessing the ecological functionality and integrity of natural ponds, excavated ponds and stormwater basins for conserving amphibian diversity
Wetlands provide ecological functionality by maintaining and promoting regional biodiversity supporting quality habitat for aquatic organisms. Globally, habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation due to increases in agricultural activities and urban development have reduced or altered geographically isolated wetlands, thus reducing biodiversity. The objective of this study was to assess the relatAuthorsKelly L. Smalling, Sara E. Breitmeyer, John F. Bunnell, Kim J Laidig, Patrick Burritt, Marilyn Sobel, Jonathan Cohl, Michelle Hladik, Kristin M. Romanok, Paul M. BradleyEvaluation of ELISA for the analysis of imidacloprid in biological matrices: Cross-reactivities, matrix interferences, and comparison to LC-MS/MS
Imidacloprid is among the most used pesticides worldwide and there are toxicity concerns for nontarget organisms. Accurate and sensitive methods are necessary to quantitate imidacloprid concentrations in biological matrices to better understand their fate and effects. Here we evaluated an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit for the analysis of imidacloprid in biological samples. FollowinAuthorsMichael S. Gross, Emily Woodward, Michelle HladikCyprosulfamide: Analysis of the herbicide safener and two of its degradates in surface water and groundwater from the Midwestern United States
Herbicide safeners are commonly included in herbicide formulations to selectively protect crops from herbicide toxicity but are poorly understood in terms of their environmental occurrence and fate. This study established an analytical method for a newer safener, cyprosulfamide, and two of its degradates, cyprosulfamide desmethyl and N-cyclopropyl-4-sulfamoylbenzamide, in water via solid-phase extAuthorsMonica E McFadden, Michelle HladikPilot-scale expanded assessment of inorganic and organic tapwater exposures and predicted effects in Puerto Rico, USA
A pilot-scale expanded target assessment of mixtures of inorganic and organic contaminants in point-of-consumption drinking water (tapwater, TW) was conducted in Puerto Rico (PR) to continue to inform TW exposures and corresponding estimations of cumulative human-health risks across the US. In August 2018, a spatial synoptic pilot assessment of than 524 organic, 37 inorganic, and select microbioloAuthorsPaul M. Bradley, Ingrid Y. Padilla, Kristin M. Romanok, Kelly Smalling, Michael J. Focazio, Sara E. Breitmeyer, Mary C. Cardon, Justin M. Conley, Nicola Evans, Carrie E Givens, James L. Gray, L. Earl Gray, Phillip C. Hartig, Michelle Hladik, Christopher P. Higgins, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Rachael F. Lane, Keith Loftin, R. Blaine McCleskey, Carrie A. McDonough, Elizabeth Medlock-Kakaley, Shannon M. Meppelink, Christopher P. Weis, Vickie S. WilsonCross-ecosystem fluxes of pesticides from prairie wetlands mediated by aquatic insect emergence: Implications for terrestrial insectivores
Contaminants alter the quantity and quality of insect prey available to terrestrial insectivores. In agricultural regions, the quantity of aquatic insects emerging from freshwaters can be impacted by insecticides originating from surrounding croplands. We hypothesized that, in such regions, adult aquatic insects could also act as vectors of pesticide transfer to terrestrial food webs. To estimateAuthorsJohanna M. Kraus, Kathryn Kuivila, Michelle Hladik, Neil Shook, David M. Mushet, Kelen Dowdy, Rachel Harrington - News
Below are news stories associated with this project.
- Partners
Below are partners associated with this project.