Temporal and Spatial Analysis of Surface Water Pesticide Occurrences in the Maritime Region of Canada

This study measured both nutrient and pesticide concentrations at up to 13 different freshwater stream sites in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island between 2013 and 2018. Up to 62 different pesticides were analysed in 248 discreet samples. A large majority of pesticides were below the detection limit of the laboratory while seven pesticides had at least 20% or more detections throughout the years of this study. The four pesticides that had the highest frequency of detection were the insecticides chlorantraniliprole, clothianidin, imidacloprid, and thiamethoxam of which the last three are categorised as neonicotinoid insecticides.