Imidacloprid in United States Rivers, 2013-2022: Persistent Presence and Emerging Chronic Hazard.

ABSTRACT: Imidacloprid, a neonicotinoid insecticide, is used for agricultural and nonagricultural purposes and is toxic to nontarget organisms at low concentrations in aquatic ecosystems. A total of 12,547 water samples were collected from 2013 to 2022 from 77 rivers across the United States (U.S.) and were analyzed to evaluate detections and temporal trends in imidacloprid concentrations. Imidacloprid was detected in 44% of all samples, and the mean concentration, adjusted for nondetect samples, of 24.9 ng/L (median = 11.9 ng/L) was more than twice the chronic benchmark for freshwater invertebrates (10 ng/L). This potential hazard to aquatic life was persistent, with 44% of the sites having a median concentration exceeding the chronic benchmark. Half of the sites (n = 38) had increasing tren

SUBMITTER: Miller SA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12713725 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature