Assessing health risks for the Darling Downs rural sector due to consumption of potentially impaired (Herbicides) drinking water - Executive report
Project report
Title | Assessing health risks for the Darling Downs rural sector due to consumption of potentially impaired (Herbicides) drinking water - Executive report |
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Report Type | Project report |
Authors | |
Author | Dafny, Elad |
Institution of Origin | University of Southern Queensland |
Number of Pages | 7 |
Year | 2015 |
Publisher | University of Southern Queensland |
Place of Publication | Toowoomba, Australia |
Abstract | Pesticides are considered hazardous chemicals that pose potential health risks upon exposure, either acutely in high doses or chronically in low doses. Drinking contaminated water is one of the ways of chronic exposure to low doses. This occurs due to herbicide leaching from agricultural lands to the groundwater (which varies according to soils and rocks properties) and has been reported in many areas worldwide. Environmental agencies have provided threshold values for exposure doses and concentrations; when herbicides concentrations in groundwater exceed these values, potential health risks intensify. Herbicides have never been monitored in the Darling-Downs groundwater. However, it has been detected many times in the Condamine River, which drains the same agricultural areas. These findings, the proximity of domestic bores to the fields and the general heavy use of herbicides for the area’s major crops (cotton), potentially increases the exposure, risk and health impacts in the local population. The findings are generally encouraging (see following section), and dismissed any major concern regarding regional exposure to herbicides due to drinking the underground water. It can be concluded that despite the intensive farming, the potential leaching of herbicides to the groundwater table in the studied area is low. Nevertheless, local actions can contribute to different results in individual bores. |
Keywords | Condamine; Darling Downs; groundwater quality; herbicides; alluvial aquifer |
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 370799. Hydrology not elsewhere classified |
300409. Crop and pasture protection (incl. pests, diseases and weeds) | |
410404. Environmental management | |
Public Notes | File reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher/author. |
Byline Affiliations | National Centre for Engineering in Agriculture |
Funding source | Grant ID Perpetual - FR2014/0322 |
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/q3118/assessing-health-risks-for-the-darling-downs-rural-sector-due-to-consumption-of-potentially-impaired-herbicides-drinking-water-executive-report
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