Temporal variations of concentrations of currently used pesticides in the atmosphere of Strasbourg, France

Atmospheric samples have been collected in Strasbourg between April 18 and May 29, 2007 and were analyzed for 71 current-use pesticides, of which 38 were detected. Average concentrations ranged from 0.09 ng m(-3) for Fenarimol to 110.42 ng m(-3) for Dimethachlor, which was slightly higher than the concentrations reported from other, comparable agricultural regions. Significant temporal variations were observed for 30 pesticides, and for most of them it could be shown that these were linked to time, temperature or atmospheric pressure. In several cases this helped to identify pesticide application just before or at the beginning of the sampling period, or ongoing treatment. Humidity, in contrast to previous reports, could not be linked to these variations. For the other 8 pesticides, only very little temporal variations were observed. Generally, these concentrations were low (less than 1 ng m(-3)), and it was assumed that they are not in use in Alsace at present. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.