Organic Micropollutants in Agricultural System: Ecotoxicity, Risk Assessment and Detection Methods

Agriculture is considered as the backbone of all the developing countries not only for their livelihood but also as economic support. However, since the inception of agricultural practices, there is a continuous warfare between human and various detrimental candidates such as plant pathogens, weeds, phytophagous pests, etc. To combat these, synthetic chemicals such as pesticides, fertilizer and other related chemicals are used to enhance agricultural yield. However, non-judicious, inadvertent and indiscriminate use of these organic micropollutants (OMPs) caused detrimental effects on the environment and human health. Organic micropollutants (OMPs) enter into the biotic-abiotic system through variable modes like irrigation water, animal excreta as manure/compost, sewerage wastewater, pesticide, fertilizer, etc. from where they reach the food system via various entry points like agricultural soil, groundwater, contaminated crops and fruits and finally via bioaccumulation to the food chain. Traces of OMPs are still being reported even from some of the discontinued pesticides such as DDT, heptachlor and atrazine in drinkable water. OMPs are stated to be more toxic as compared to their parent compounds and thus considered as potential threat to human health by triggering neurological dysfunctions, endocrine disruption and metabolism malfunctioning. OMPs are perils to biological elements of the ecosystem by damaging soil quality and alter soil biogeochemical processes and its micro-floral-faunal diversity by inducing genetic alterations. In addition to economical diversion for pesticides and synthetic agrochemical production, the deleterious effects of OMPs and their management will further raise a financial burden both for developed and developing countries. Hence, cost-effective, extensive screening methodologies, analytical techniques and scientific evidence-based robust technologies need to be developed for the identification, quantification and remediation of OMPs from soil, water and agricultural yield to discharge effective and healthy agroeconomic practices.