Pesticides in Latin American and Caribbean freshwater: a critical review

Abstract

Pesticides used in food production contaminate freshwater ecosystems. We present a criticalanalysis of pesticide use in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) from 1990 to 2020 anda systematic review of scientific literature about the presence of pesticid es in freshwater,encompassing studies published from 1990 to 2023. Data were collected from FAOStat,PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Brazil was the primary pesticide user,with an annual consumption of 231,621 t, followed by Argentina (132,255 t) and Colombia(52,553 t). In 2020, LAC had the highest rate of pesticide application globally, with Ecuadorleading at 13.74 kg/ha. South America dominates the total amount with 90.9% of pesticideuse, primarily herbicides (51.5%), while pesticide usage in North and Central America, aswell as the Caribbean, varied due to differing agricultural practices. The study examined 221records for 26 out of 51 countries in the literature, highlighting the significant lack ofinformation from numerous countries. Argentina, Mexico, and Brazil had the highestpublication rates. Rivers, streams, and lakes (37%, 20%, and 12%, respectively) were themost commonly studied systems, and research focused mainly on pesticide concentration inwater (46%), sediments (27%), and aquatic biota (15%). The imbalance between pesticideusage and monitoring in freshwaters leads to concerns about the awareness of ecological risk.Therefore, there is an urgent need for increased research on environmental monitoring inLAC to better understand pesticide impacts on these vital ecosystems.