National report on pesticides in water – 2013-2014 data

ISPRA draws up the national report on the presence of pesticides in water in order to regularly provide information on the water quality in relation to the risks of these substances. The report is the outcome of a complex activity involving Regions and Environmental Regional Agencies, carrying out investigations on the territory and transmitting the collected data to ISPRA, which in turn, is responsible for technical direction and assessment. The report presents the results of the national monitoring of pesticides in surface water and groundwater held in the years 2013-2014; the regional data are shown in the second part of the report. The collected data are presented as recovery frequency and concentrations distribution of pesticides, moreover the measured concentrations are compared with legal threshold fixed by European and national legislation. The report analyses the most problematic situations due to the presence of specific substances. The availability of monitoring data since 2003 allows the trend analysis of contamination. Finally, the presence of mixtures of substances in the samples is analyzed, which give origin to the combined exposure. The report includes a brief discussion of the historical evolution of pesticides according to their mode of action and use. Also it discusses possible ways of human exposure to pesticides, through the environment.

First part (national) (pdf - 8 Mb)

Second part (regional) (pdf - 22 Mb)