Development and evaluation of the KOrea Insecticide Exposure Model (KOIEM) for managing insecticides

Abstract

The Korea Insecticide Exposure Model (KOIEM) was developed to facilitate ecological risk-based management of Korean insecticides. KOIEM, applied as a multimedia fate model, evaluates water, soil, air, and vegetation compartments based on three water-body types (streams, ditches, and ponds). Deltamethrin, a pyrethroid insecticide, was used to evaluate and create the model parameters. After exposure of both the stream and the ditch to deltamethrin, the KOIEM-predicted concentrations and the observed levels were in agreement. The model was also evaluated using the accuracy factor (AF), which was 4.32 and 0.35 for the stream and ditch, respectively. Ecological risk assessment was also performed to evaluate the application of KOIEM for four popular South Korean insecticides (cypermethrin, deltamethrin, diazinon, and permethrin). Despite the insecticides having low PECs in water, their risk quotients were typically above 1.0. Thus, KOIEM modification would be required in further studies to account for spatial variation.