Neonicotinoids are being prophylactically used on a variety of crops and have the potential to continuously expose non-target organisms. For terrestrial invertebrates, exposure through contact with contaminated soil, water or plants can result in lethal and sub-lethal effects, with most of the information gathered from honey bee studies. However, it is important to assess a variety of non-target groups to fully understand the scale and magnitude of the effects. Our proposed project will examine the direct effects of neonicotinoids on an herbivorous invertebrate, the grasshopper. This project will provide baseline data on the effects of neonicotinoids to non-target invertebrates that are an important part of terrestrial food webs.

The Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators (CESI) program provides data and information to track Canada's performance on key environmental sustainability issues. The Household use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers indicator reports the percentage of households with a lawn or garden in Canada that use chemical pesticides or fertilizers. Information is provided to Canadians in a number of formats including: static and interactive maps, charts and graphs, HTML and CSV data tables and downloadable reports. See the supplementary documentation for the data sources and details on how the data were collected and how the indicator was calculated.

The objective of this research is to examine the effects that the direct application of pesticides to control aquatic invasive plants has on non-target organisms. The research will focus on the active ingredient diquat, a currently registered pesticide in Canada used to control submerged plant species. A mesocosm (i.e. artificial pond) experimental approach will be used to examine the effects of diquat on aquatic organisms, including native and invasive plants, invertebrates and vertebrates that are representative of, and important to, Canadian aquatic ecosystems.

The Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators (CESI) program provides data and information to track Canada's performance on key environmental sustainability issues. The Household use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers indicator reports the percentage of households with a lawn or garden ni Canada that use chemical pesticides or fertilizers. Information is provided to Canadians in a number of formats including: static and interactive maps, charts and graphs, HTML and CSV data tables and downloadable reports. See the supplementary documentation for the data sources and details on how the data were collected and how the indicator was calculated.

In recent years, neonicotinoid use has been linked to collapses of honey bee colonies; however, relatively little is known about their impacts on vertebrate wildlife. Amphibians in particular are excellent vertebrate bioindicator organisms because they are sensitive to environmental stressors and their dual aquatic/terrestrial life cycle may leave them more vulnerable to neonicotinoid exposure. Our preliminary work suggests wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) are sensitive to environmentally relevant concentrations of neonicotinoids. Our proposed project builds on our previous studies and is two-fold: 1) to examine the direct effects of neonicotinoids on frogs using laboratory and mesocosm exposures and, 2) to determine the concentrations of neonicotinoids in the environment using sensitive time-integrating samplers (POCIS) and assess the effects of neonicotinoids on amphipods exposed in situ.

This project examined the effects of pesticides and agricultural practices on parasites of juvenile leopard frogs, Lithobates pipiens (formerly known as Rana pipiens) in southwestern Quebec, Canada. Nine wetlands and two reference sites were sampled in 2004 and 2005, all of which were in various vicinities to agricultural lands and pesticide runoff. All data are a part subject of a publication containing method details, full QA/QC, interpretation and conclusions: King, K. C., McLaughlin, J. D., Gendron, A. D., Pauli, B. D., Giroux, I., Rondeau, B., Boily, M., Juneau, P., & Marcogliese, D. J. (2007). Impacts of agriculture on the parasite communities of northern leopard frogs (Rana pipiens) in southern Quebec, Canada. Parasitology, 134(Pt.14), 2063–2080. doi.org/10.1017/S0031182007003277

Freshwater mussels contribute important ecological functions to aquatic systems. The water filtered by mussel assemblages can improve water quality, and the mixing of sediments by burrowing mussels can improve oxygen content and release nutrients. However, nearly 70 percent of North American freshwater mussel species are listed as either endangered, threatened, or in decline. In Ontario, 28 species are in decline or in need of protection. Even though freshwater mussels have a heightened sensitivity to some contaminants, few studies have investigated the risks that various pesticide classes pose to one freshwater mussel species or among life stages. Lampsilis siliquoidea and Villosa iris were the focus of the present study, with the latter currently listed as of "special concern" in Canada. A potential risk to the recovery of freshwater mussel species is the presence and persistence of pesticides in Ontario surface waters. Acute (48 hour) toxicity tests were performed with V. iris glochidia to determine the effect on viability (surrogate for survival) following exposure to 4 fungicides (azoxystrobin, boscalid, metalaxyl, and myclobutanil), 3 neonicotinoids (clothianidin, imidacloprid, and thiamethoxam), 2 carbamates (carbaryl and malathion), 1 organophosphate (chlorpyrifos), and 1 butenolide (flupyradifurone). Juvenile and adult L. siliquoidea were also exposed to azoxystrobin, clothianidin, imidacloprid (juvenile only), and carbaryl (adult only).

Numerous actions have been undertaken by farmers to attenuate the impact of agricultural activities on aquatic ecosystems. The identification of biomarkers that respond quickly to water quality improvement could facilitate the assessment of adopted alternative practices and help maintain mobilization among stakeholders. Here, we evaluated the potential of the Comet assay, a biomarker of genotoxic effects, using a freshwater mussel, Elliptio complanata, as a model animal. The frequency of DNA damage was assessed in hemocytes of mussels collected from a pristine habitat (MSH) and caged for 8 weeks in the Pot au Beurre River (PAB), a tributary of Lake St-Pierre (QC, Canada) impacted by agricultural activities. Pesticides and water quality parameters were also measured in surface water on a weekly basis during the caging period. Our findings suggest that the Comet assay is a sensitive tool for the early detection of changes in water toxicity following the adoption of agricultural beneficial practices. All data are a part subject of a publication containing method details, full QA/QC, interpretation and conclusions. Citation: Gendron, A.D., Lacaze, É., Taranu, Z.E., Gouge, R., Larbi-Youcef, Y., Houde, M., André, C., Gagné, F., Triffault-Bouchet, G. and Giroux, I. (2023), The Comet Assay, a Sensitive Biomarker of Water Quality Improvement Following Adoption of Beneficial Agricultural Practices?. Environ Toxicol Chem. doi.org/10.1002/etc.5711

National Water Monitoring Program for Pesticides (NWMPP) water quality data are presented for a network of freshwater sites across Canada. A two-year pilot program is being conducted in partnership between Health Canada (HC), Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), with additional partners listed below. Data comprise a suite of approximately 185 pesticides from a limited number of surface water sites in Canada. Sampling frequency and collection of ancillary data vary among locations; however, in general, samples are taken twice per week during the growing season. Ancillary data can include physical-chemical parameters such as temperature, pH and specific conductance. The main objective of the pilot program is to provide lessons learned for the development of a framework, which will provide guidance for pesticide monitoring programs, including a NWMPP. The expected outcomes of the framework and the NWMPP are enhanced knowledge about the levels of pesticides in the aquatic environment, expanded partnerships, improved collaborations, and increased accessibility of information through Open Data. Additional Partners • Province of Prince Edward Island (PEI), through the Canada-PEI Memorandum of Agreement on Water • Organisme de bassin versant du Témiscamingue (OBVT), in collaboration with AAFC Authors Government of Canada: • Health Canada, Pest Management Regulatory Agency, Environmental Assessment Directorate, pmra.water-eau.arla@hc-sc.gc.ca • Health Canada, Regulatory Operations and Enforcement Branch, Pesticide Laboratory, EauPestlabWater@hc-sc.gc.ca • Environment and Climate Change Canada (Public inquiries centre), Fontaine Building 12th floor, 200 Sacré-Coeur Blvd, Gatineau, Quebec, K1A 0H3 1-800-668-6767 • Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Science and Technology Branch aafc.info.aac@agr.gc.ca 1-855-773-0241

This data set contains concentrations of pesticides in wastewater Influent (INF), Effluent (EFF), Landfill Leachate (LCH), Biosolids (BIOS) and Sludge (SLG) sampled from various Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) and Landfills across Canada.