Possible Side Effects of Airborne Pesticides on Fungi and Vascular Plants in the Netherlands

A survey of the potential side effects of volatilized pesticides on fungi and vascular plants in The Netherlands has been made for two herbicides (akazine and MCPA), a fungicide (captan) and a soil fumigant (metham sodium). By applying existing models, a prediction is presented of post-treatment dispersal and deposition due to volatilization, both at short and long ranges, and of the potential side effects on fungi and vascular plants. The general conclusion is that side effects (stunting and growth anomalies) are to be expected outside the target area, especially close (<500 m) to treated plots with atrazine and metham sodium. In view of agricultural acreage in The Netherlands, these short-range effects may impinge on a relatively large scale. There may also be an impact at greater distances from treated plots, especially in the case of compounds that are slow to degrade such as MITC (methyl isothiocyanate), the active toxic moiety generated in soil from metham sodium.