Fungicides in English rivers: widening the understanding of the presence, co-occurrence and implications for risk assessment

Porter, Nick ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-7866-5983; Collins, Rob. 2025 Fungicides in English rivers: widening the understanding of the presence, co-occurrence and implications for risk assessment [in special issue: Advanced research on micropollutants in water. 2nd ed.] Environments, 12 (2), 45. 20, pp. 10.3390/environments12020045

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Abstract/Summary

Fungicides are commonly found in freshwater; however, the understanding of their wider presence, co-occurrence, and potential risk remains limited. This study examined English national datasets to highlight knowledge gaps and identify improvements to monitoring and risk assessment. The analysis found that at least one fungicide was present in 91% of samples collected from English rivers over a 5-year period, with four fungicides detected at rates exceeding 50%. Co-occurrence occurs widely, with up to nine different fungicides detected within the same sample and four detected the most frequently, raising concerns for synergistic interactions. The semi-quantitative nature of much of the available data precludes a clear determination of the potential risk of detrimental effects on aquatic biota. Fully quantitative analysis is required, and ecotoxicity-based water quality standards need to be agreed upon. The monthly sampling regime reflected in the national datasets will infrequently capture high flow events and so is unlikely to fully represent fungicides transported to rivers via rainfall-driven processes. Several information gaps exist, including the risk posed by fungicides in sewage sludge applied to land and the extent to which fungicides in the aquatic and terrestrial environments contribute to antifungal resistance. Improvements in spatial and temporal information on fungicide use are needed.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	10.3390/environments12020045
UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:	National Capability and Digital Research (2025-)
ISSN:	2076-3298
Additional Information. Not used in RCUK Gateway to Research.:	Open Access paper - full text available via Official URL.
Additional Keywords:	fungicides, freshwater, mixtures, monitoring, risk assessment
NORA Subject Terms:	Ecology and Environment Hydrology Data and Information
Date made live:	11 Feb 2025 09:26 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/538885

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