Household herbicide use as a source of simazine contamination in urban surface waters.

Contamination of urban surface waters by herbicides is an increasing concern; however, sources of contamination are poorly understood, hindering the development of mitigation and regulatory strategies. Impervious surfaces, such as concrete in driveways and paths are considered an important facilitator for herbicide runoff to urban surface waters following applications by residential homeowners. This study assessed the transferability of a herbicide from concrete pavers treated with an off-the-shelf product, containing simazine as the active herbicide, marketed for residential homeowner application to impervious surfaces.

Impacts on the seagrass, Zostera nigricaulis, from the herbicide Fusilade Forte used in the management of Spartina anglica infestations.

The herbicide Fusilade Forte (FF) is widely applied in agricultural weed management and in the management of the invasive saltmarsh grass, Spartina anglica (ricegrass or cordgrass). FF (active ingredient fluazifop-P acid, FPA) is selective for poaceous grasses. Its primary mode of action is inhibition of the acetyl coenzyme-A carboxylase (ACCase) specific to this taxonomic group, and its secondary mode is by promotion of oxidative stress.

Herbicides and trace metals in urban waters in Melbourne, Australia (2011-12): concentrations and potential impact.

Urban stormwater samples were collected from five aquatic systems in Melbourne, Australia, on six occasions between October 2011 and March 2012 and tested for 30 herbicides and 14 trace metals. Nineteen different herbicides were observed in one or more water samples from the five sites; chemicals observed at more than 40% of sites were simazine (100%), MCPA (83%), diuron (63%) and atrazine (53%). Using the toxicity unit (TU) concept to assess potential risk to aquatic ecosystems, none of the detected herbicides were considered to pose an individual, group or collective short-term risk to fish or zooplankton in the waters studied.

Municipal wastewater effluent licensing: A global perspective and recommendations for best practice.

Advances in wastewater treatment have greatly improved the quality of municipal wastewater effluents in many parts of the world, but despite this, treated wastewaters can still pose a risk to the environment. Licensing plays a crucial role in the regulation of municipal wastewater effluents by setting standards or limits designed to protect the economic, environmental and societal values of waterbodies. Traditionally these standards have focused on physical and chemical water quality parameters within the discharge itself, however these approaches do not adequately account for emerging contaminants, potential effects of chemical mixtures, or variations in the sensitivity and resilience of receiving environments.

Environmental fate of fungicides in surface waters of a horticultural-production catchment in southeastern Australia.

Fungicides are regularly applied in horticultural production systems and may migrate off-site, potentially posing an ecological risk to surface waterways. However, few studies have investigated the fate of fungicides in horticultural catchments. This study investigated the presence of 24 fungicides at 18 sites during a 5-month period within a horticultural catchment in southeastern Australia.

Evaluation of the Hormosira banksii (Turner) desicaine germination and growth inhibition bioassay for use as a regulatory assay.

A germination and growth inhibition bioassay using the marine macroalga, Hormosira banksii, was evaluated for use as a standard method for direct toxicity assessment testing in the Australasian region. H. banksii is the dominant macroalga and an important primary producer in temperate coastal zones of Australasia and is therefore relevant as a test organism.

Effects of antifouling biocides to the germination and growth of the marine macroalga, Hormosira banksii (Turner) Desicaine.

The International Maritime Organisation's (IMO) ban on the use of tributyltin in antifouling paints has inevitability increased the use of old fashioned antifoulants and/or the development of new paints containing 'booster biocides'. These newer paints are intended to be environmentally less harmful, however the broader environmental effects of these 'booster biocides' are poorly known. Germination and growth inhibition tests using the marine macroalga, Hormosira banksii (Turner) Desicaine were conducted to evaluate the toxicity of four new antifouling biocides in relation to tributyltin-oxide (TBTO).

Assessing the performance of Hormosira banksii (Turner) Desicaine germination and growth assay using four reference toxicants.

This study evaluated the performance of a Hormosira banksii germination inhibition bioassay developed to assess the toxicity of single compounds and complex effluents in the Australasian region. The reproducibility of 48 and 72 h germination and growth toxicity tests was determined using four reference toxicants, namely, ammonia, copper, phenol and zinc. H.