The Ecotoxicity of Pyrimethanil for Aquatic Biota

Via the application of agrochemicals, farmers currently guarantee high productivity of fruit and vegetable crops. However, pest reduction using excessive amounts of such chemicals has a negative effect on aquatic organisms. The spray-drift, leaching, run-off or accidental spills occurring during or after application has become a serious and increasing problem for aquatic ecosystems. Pyrimethanil (PYR) is one of the most used fungicides. Such increase has heightened the interest in studying the potential risk and influence of PYR on the environment. In this chapter information on the PYR environmental risks for aquatic organisms was divided into three different approaches: (i) assessment of toxic effects of the pure active ingredient or the commercial formulation on primary producers, (ii) assessment of toxic effects of the pure active ingredient and PYR formulation on aquatic animals, and (iii) estimation of the role of PYR as an environmental disturber by triggering avoidance response. The available data provide evidences that PYR is potentially toxic for many aquatic species, affecting survival, reproduction, feeding, growth, and that it can disturb the environmental quality with no direct effect at the individual level by inducing organisms to migrate to less impacted areas