Determination of solid-liquid partition coefficients (Kd) for the herbicides isoproturon and trifluralin in five UK agricultural soils.

Isoproturon and trifluralin are herbicides of contrasting chemical characters and modes of action. Standard batch sorption procedures were carried out to investigate the individual sorption behaviour of 14C-isoproturon and 14C-trifluralin in five agricultural soils (1.8-4.2% OC), and the soil solid-liquid partition coefficients (Kd values) were determined. Trifluralin exhibited strong partitioning to the soil solid phase (Kd range 106-294) and low desorption potential, thus should not pose a threat to sensitive waters via leaching, although particle erosion and preferential flow pathways may facilitate transport. For isoproturon, soil adsorption was low (Kd range 1.96-5.75) and desorption was high, suggesting a high leaching potential, consistent with isoproturon being the most frequently found pesticide in UK surface waters. Soil partitioning was directly related to soil organic carbon (OC) content. Accumulation isotherms were modelled using a dual-phase adsorption model to estimate adsorption and desorption rate coefficients. Associations between herbicides and soil humic substances were also shown using gel filtration chromatography.

Determination of solid-liquid partition coefficients (K(d)) for diazinon, propetamphos and cis-permethrin: implications for sheep dip disposal.

Two groups of chemicals are currently licensed for use in sheep dip products in the UK. These are organophosphate (OP) insecticides and synthetic pyrethroid (SP) insecticides. SPs are deemed to be less toxic to human health than OPs, although they are approximately 100 times more toxic to some elements of the aquatic environment. Three insecticides were selected for experimental investigation: diazinon, propetamphos (OPs) and cis-permethrin (SP), representative of the active ingredients used in sheep dip formulations, with additional uses in insect control in crops, and for domestic control of flies, mosquitoes, cockroaches, lice, ticks and spiders. The UK Government has recently reviewed agricultural practices relating to the disposal of used sheep dip, because the constituent insecticides are frequently detected in UK watercourses and the presence of these compounds is a severe hazard to the aquatic environment. Standard batch sorption experiments were carried out to investigate insecticide partitioning from water to soil, and the relationship between sorption and soil organic carbon content is discussed. Sorption isotherms and K(d) values showed that cis-permethrin adsorption was fastest on all five soils investigated, exhibiting the greatest total partitioning to the soil phase (83.8-94.8%) and high resistance to desorption. In comparison, the OP insecticides exhibited moderately strong soil adsorption as evidenced by their K(d) coefficients (diazinon K(d) 12-35 and propetamphos K(d) 9-60), with low sorption reversibility (< 15%). Calculation of a hydrological retardation factor in a scenario representative of a typical UK environment suggested that SP insecticides such as cis-permethrin will not migrate in the soil profile due to their virtual immobility and strong soil retention, and thus waste sheep dip disposal to agricultural land should not pose a risk to aquatic life if applied with appropriate controls.

Fate of prions in soil: detergent extraction of PrP from soils.

The transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) are caused by infectious agents whose structures have not been fully characterized but include abnormal forms of the host protein PrP, designated PrP(Sc), which are deposited in infected tissues. The transmission routes of scrapie and chronic wasting disease (CWD) seem to include environmental spread in their epidemiology, yet the fate of TSE agents in the environment is poorly understood. There are concerns that, for example, buried carcasses may remain a potential reservoir of infectivity for many years. Experimental determination of the environmental fate requires methods for assessing binding/elution of TSE infectivity, or its surrogate marker PrP(Sc), to and from materials with which it might interact. We report a method using Sarkosyl for the extraction of murine PrP(Sc), and its application to soils containing recombinant ovine PrP (recPrP). Elution properties suggest that PrP binds strongly to one or more soil components. Elution from a clay soil also required proteinase K digestion, suggesting that in the clay soil binding occurs via the N-terminal of PrP to a component that is absent from the sandy soils tested.