Atrazine and total triazines: Exposure patterns in midwestern surface waters

Distributions of atrazine and total triazine exposures for aquatic organisms in the midwestern United States and Canada were characterized using the most complete datasets available, with attention to the sampling pattern used in obtaining the data. Distributions were established form stantaneous concentrations and for 96-hour and 21-day running averages. Time weighting and annualization were important to avoid distorted estimates of exposure concentrations; failure to use appropriate procedures can lead to order-of-magnitude errors in estimates of benchmarks such as the 90th percentile concentration. Atrazine and total triazine concentrations are characterized by strong seasonality, with elevated concentrations for a period of 6 to 10 weeks following application in May or June. Concentrations decline during July, August, and September, and for the rest of the year are near detection limit. Concentrations in running water are strongly influenced by storm runoff, with much higher concentrations during run off than during low-flow periods between run off events. Thus aquatic organisms in running waters experience pulsed exposures interspersed with recovery periods. 90th percentile concentrations were calculated for a number of rivers, streams, lakes, and reservoirs for comparison with ecological effects data. Total triazine concentrations are only slightly higher than atrazine concentrations in those waters for whichmore » comparisons were possible.« less