ARS | Publication request: PARTITIONING OF METHYL PARATHION IN CONSTRUCTED WETLANDS: DO PLANTS MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

Submitted to: Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: May 1, 2004
Publication Date: May 20, 2004
Citation: Moore, M.T., Bennett, E.R., Cooper, C.M., Smith Jr, S., Schulz, R. 2004. Partitioning of methyl parathion in constructed wetlands: Do plants make a difference? [abstract]. Mid-South Regional Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. p. 23.

Technical Abstract: Over 2.3 million kg of active ingredient methyl parathion were applied on US crops in 2002. The majority of these applications occurred in soybean fields in the Mid South area, primarily Louisiana and Mississippi. With a water solubility upwards of 55 mg/L, methyl parathion has a propensity to travel in aqueous runoff following storm events in agricultural areas following application. Constructing small wetland cells in the drainage flow path as an edge of field best management practice can serve as a safety buffer for potentially harmful runoff. In the current study, two constructed wetland mesocosms, 10 m x 50 m, were used to measure methyl parathion fate and partitioning into various environmental compartments. One wetland contained 100% cover of the softrush, Juncus effusus, while the second wetland contained no vegetation. Each wetland was divided in half for replication purposes, and water, sediment, and plant samples were collected spatially and temporally across each applicable wetland. Aqueous samples, along with semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) deployed at the outflow of each wetland, indicated that after just 30 minutes of exposure, methyl parathion was detected in the outflow of the nonvegetated wetland. Conversely, in the vegetated wetland, methyl parathion had only traveled 20 m after 30 minutes. SPMDs did not detect any methyl parathion at the outflow of the vegetated wetland for the entire study duration. These data can be used to determine design criteria for constructed wetland development in sensitive agricultural areas.