GEnZ explorer: a tool for visualizing agroclimate to inform research and regulatory risk assessment.

Confined field trials (CFT) of genetically engineered (GE) crops are used to generate data to inform environmental risk assessments (ERA). ERAs are required by regulatory authorities before novel GE crops can be released for cultivation. The transportability of CFT data to inform risk assessment in countries other than those where the CFT was conducted has been discussed previously in an analysis showing that the primary difference between CFT locations potentially impacting trial outcomes is the physical environment, particularly the agroclimate.

National characterization of pesticide runoff and erosion potential to put USEPA standard ecological scenarios in context for pyrethroids.

Decision-making for pesticide registration by the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) relies upon crop-specific scenarios in a tiered framework. These standard modeling scenarios are stated to represent "…sites expected to produce runoff greater than would be expected at 90% of the sites for a given crop/use." This study developed a novel approach to compare the pesticide runoff + erosion (Sum ) mass flux potential of a hydrophobic chemical using 36 of these ecological regulatory scenarios with national-scale distributions of modeled Sum from over 750 000 USA-wide agricultural catchments to provide real-world context for the simulated transport predictions used for regulatory decision-making.

Automated Solid-Phase Microextraction and Negative Chemical Ionization GC-MS for the Measurement of Synthetic Pyrethroids.

Synthetic pyrethroids are frequently detected as trace contaminants in sediment and natural waters. Because of the importance of measuring both total and freely available concentrations for ecotoxicity evaluations, solid-phase microextraction (SPME) combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry using negative chemical ionization (NCI-GC-MS) was investigated as an analytical technique. Automated SPME-NCI-GC-MS quantification of freely dissolved (and thus potentially bioavailable) pyrethroids in aqueous samples containing dissolved organic matter (DOM) was successfully applied.

Thermodynamic Surface Analyses to Inform Biofilm Resistance.

Biofilms are the habitat of 95% of bacteria successfully protecting bacteria from many antibiotics. However, inhibiting biofilm formation is difficult in that it is a complex system involving the physical and chemical interaction of both substrate and bacteria. Focusing on the substrate surface and potential interactions with bacteria, we examined both physical and chemical properties of substrates coated with a series of phenyl acrylate monomer derivatives.

Impact of Wind Speed and Direction and Key Meteorological Parameters on Potential Pesticide Drift Mass Loadings from Sequential Aerial Applications.

Pesticide spray drift is potentially a significant source of exposure to off-target, adjacent aquatic habitats. To estimate the magnitude of pesticide drift from aerial or ground applications, regulatory agencies in North America, Europe, and elsewhere rely on spray drift models to predict spray drift deposition for risk assessments. Refined assessments should ultimately depend on best-available data for exposure modeling.