Skip to main content
Environmental Sciences Europe

Table 1 Regulatory acceptable concentrations of pesticides with exceedances of monitoring data in Switzerland. Exceedances (n) of regulatory acceptable concentrations (RACs) of pesticides in surface waters (FLOZ) presented as percentage of total measurements and measurements in FLOZ 1–3 surface water bodies and calculated risk quotients [MECmax (maximum measured concentration) in comparison to RACs (regulatory acceptable concentrations)]

From: Pesticides in surface waters: a comparison with regulatory acceptable concentrations (RACs) determined in the authorization process and consideration for regulation

Substance

RAC exceedance

FLOZ

Pesticide

H

I

F

RAC (μg/L)

n

Exceedance

N (%)

(FLOZ 1-3)

N-total

(n-FLOZ 1-3)

(n > LOQ)

Events

Details:

Event (number of exceedances in 1 month)

Events (%)

MEC (µg/L)

RQ = 

MECmax/RAC

Aclonifen

H

0.5

1

0.62

161

1

0.62

2.3

4.6

3

   

(0.96)

(104)

     
    

(19)

     

Chlortoluron

H

2.4

1

0.02

4841

1

0.02

81.1

34

3

   

(0.04)

(2518)

     
    

(408)

     

Isoproturon

H

5.8

6

0.10

6247

2

Details:

0.03

 

2.0

2

   

(0.20)

(2933)

1 (5)

 

6.2–11.6

 

3

    

(1539)

1

 

8.4

  

Linuron

H

0.7

11

0.23

4684

5

Details:

0.11

 

25

 
   

(0.48)

(2314)

2 (8)

 

0.9–2.9

 

2

    

(561)

1

 

5.4

 

2

     

1

 

1.6

 

3

     

1

 

0.9

 

1

S-Metolachlor

H

7.0

2

0.02

8966

2

Details:

0.02

 

17

 
   

(0.06)

(3813)

1

 

16.9

 

2

    

(3475)

1

 

9.8

 

3

Terbuthylazine

H

1.2

23

0.27

8511

15

Details:

0.18

 

4.7

 
   

(0.77)

(2976)

1 (1)

 

1.6

 

2

    

(1938)

1 (1)

 

1.7

 

1

     

1 (4)

 

1.5–1.7

 

2

     

1 (3)

 

1.3–2.7

 

2

     

1 (2)

 

1.4–1.6

 

2

     

1 (1)

 

3.8

 

2

     

1 (3)

 

1.4–2.8

 

2

     

1 (1)

 

1.4

 

2

     

1 (1)

 

2.3

 

1

     

1 (1)

 

1.4

 

1

     

1 (1)

 

2.1

 

5

     

1 (1)

 

1.2

 

3

     

1 (1)

 

1.7

 

2

     

1 (1)

 

5.6

 

3

     

1 (1)

 

1.5

 

1

Chlorpyrifos-methyl

I

0.1

2

0.07

2967

2

Details:

0.07

 

1.7

 
   

(1.04)

(193)

1

 

0.1

 

2

    

(13)

1

 

0.17

 

3

Azoxystrobin

F

3.3

7

0.27

2628

2

Details:

0.08

4.4–11

3.5

 
   

(0.49)

(1436)

1 (5)

 

3.4–4.0

 

2

    

(562)

1 (2)

   

2

Difenconazole

F

0.76

3

0.31

963

2

Details:

0.21

1.1–1.2

1.5

 
   

(0.44)

(689)

1 (2)

 

1.0

 

2

    

(171)

1 (1)

   

1

Epoxyconazole

F

0.43

1

0.08

1329

1

0.08

1.0

2.2

1

   

(0.11)

(899)

     
    

(91)

     

Fenpropimorph

F

0.2

2

0.03

5861

2

Details:

0.03

 

1.4

 
   

(0.10)

(2021)

1

 

0.20

 

3

    

(47)

1

 

0.27

 

2

Fludioxonil

F

2.3

10

1.52

656

4

Details:

0.61

 

4.9

 
   

(2.90)

(345)

1

 

10

 

2

    

(210)

3 (9)

 

3–5.5

 

2

Prochloraz

F

0.55

14

1.7

822

14

Details:

1.7

 

13

 
   

(2.12)

(661)

1

 

0.99

 

2

    

(41)

1

 

1.1

 

2

     

1

 

2.7

 

2

     

11

 

0.6–7.2

 

1

Spiroxamin

F

0.2

9

1.2

760

9

Details:

1.2

 

62

 
   

(1.36)

(661)

1

 

0.6

 

1

    

(150)

1

 

12

 

1

     

1

 

0.25

 

2

     

3

 

0.25–0.6

 

1

     

1

 

0.35

 

2

     

1

 

0.2

 

2

     

1

 

0.55

 

2

Tebuconazole

F

1.0

1

0.03

3753

1

0.03

1.7

1.7

1

   

(0.10)

(983)

     
    

(714)

     

Trifloxystrobin

F

0.7

4

0.42

963

2

Details:

0.21

 

4.6

2

   

(0.58)

(689)

1 (3)

 

2.6–3.2

 

1

    

(99)

1

 

0.8

  
  1. Monitoring data were collected from 2005 to 2012 in Switzerland
  2. H herbicide, I insecticide, F fungicide
  3. n number of samples with exceedances of the RAC value
  4. N (%) percentage of exceedances of total measurements of each pesticide
  5. N (%) (FLOZ 1–3) percentage of exceedances of measurements of the pesticide in small and middle surface water bodies (FLOZ 1–3)
  6. n-total total measurements of the pesticide
  7. n-FLOZ 1–3 total measurements of the pesticide in small and middle surface water bodies (FLOZ 1 to 3)
  8. n > LOQ = number of measurements > limit of quantification
  9. events = summarizing exceedances of a pesticides measured in one month
  10. events (%) = percentage of events of exceedances of total measurements of the pesticide
  11. risk quotient (RQ) MECmax/RAC
  12. FLOZ order of sections of streams by size (Flussordnungszahl)
Back to article page