A Method to Measure the Environmental Impact of Pesticides

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Conclusion

The Environmental Impact Quotient has been used to organize the extensive toxicological data available on some common fruit and vegetable pesticides into a usable form for field use. It addresses a majority of the environmental concerns that are encountered in agricultural systems including farm worker, consumer, and wildlife, health, and safety. By using the EIQ Field Use Rating, IPM practitioners and growers can incorporate environmental effects along with efficacy and cost into the pesticide decision-making process. IPM programs can also use the EIQ model as another method to measure the environmental impact of different pest management and pesticide programs. As newer biorational pesticides are marketed with lower EIQ values and more emphasis is placed on biologically based IPM practices, the EIQ field use ratings will continue to decrease. Eventually these ratings may approach zero, resulting in an environmentally neutral or benign agricultural production system.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank D. A. Rutz, W. G. Smith, J. W. Gillette, R. Mungari, J. VanKirk, and D. Pimentel for their valuable input and discussions on the development of this concept and J. Nedrow for help in collecting and organizing the data. We would also like to thank K. M. Theiling for sharing the details of her database.

Literature Cited

EXTOXNET, The EXtension TOXicology NETwork

Hotchkiss, B. E., J. W. Gillett, M. A. Kamrin, J. W. Witt, and A. Craigmill.1989. EXTOXNET, Extension Toxicology Network. A Pesticide Information Project of Cooperative Extension Offices of Cornell University, The University of California, Michigan State University and Oregon State University, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.

Morse, R. 1989. Bee Poisoning, In the New York State Pesticide Recommendations 1989 edition. The Chemicals-Pesticides Program, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. 28-30.

MSDS Reference for Crop Protection Chemicals 1990/91. Chemical and Pharmaceutical Press, John Wiley & Sons, NY.

National Pesticide/Soils Database and User Decision Support System for Risk Assessment of Ground and Surface Water Contamination.1990. Soil Conservation Service Water Quality/ Quantity Technical Ref. 10:23-9.

Smith, W. G and J. Barnard. 1992. Chem-News Profiles, Pesticide Management and Education Program, CENET, Cornell Cooperative Extension Electronic Information Network, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.

Theiling, K.M. and B.A. Croft. 1988. Pesticide Side-Effects on Arthropod Natural Enemies: A Database Summary. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 21:191-218.

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