HR: 1340h
AN: H53A-1212    [Abstracts]
TI: Risk-Cost-Benefit Analysis Of Atrazine In Drinking Water From Agricultural Activities
AU: * Aklilu, T A
EM: akliluanges@cc.usu.edu
AF: Civil and Environmental Engineering, UWRL, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84321
AU: Jagath, K J
EM: jkalu@cc.usu.edu
AF: Civil and Environmental Engineering, UWRL, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84321
AU: Arthur, C J
EM: acaplan@cc.usu.edu
AF: Department of Economics, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322-3530
AB: This study provides a new methodology for investigating the trade-offs between the health risks and economic benefits of using atrazine in the agricultural sector and a more holistic insight to pesticide management issues. Regression models are developed to predict the stream atrazine concentrations and finished water atrazine concentration at high-risk community water supplies in the US using surface water. The predicted finished water atrazine concentrations are then used in health risk assessment. The computed health risks are compared with the total surplus in the US corn market for different atrazine application rates using the demand and supply functions developed in this work. Analysis of different scenarios with consumer price premiums (preferences) for chemical-free to reduced chemical corn provided interesting results on the potential for future pesticide and land use management. This is an interdisciplinary work that has attempted to integrate and consider the interaction between weed sciences, economics, water quality, human health risk and human reaction to changes in different pesticide use scenarios. The results showed that this methodology provides a scientific framework for future decision-making and policy evaluation in pesticide management, especially when better regional and national data are available.
DE: 1806 Chemistry of fresh water
DE: 1831 Groundwater quality
DE: 1871 Surface water quality
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting