by Tsui Tsz Ki, Martin. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 119-138). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Acknowledgements --- p.I / Abstract --- p.III / Table of Contents --- p.VII / List of Tables --- p.XII / List of Figures --- p.XIV / Abbreviations --- p.XVI / Chapter Chapter 1 --- General Introduction / Chapter 1.1 --- Research Background --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1.1 --- General description of glyphosate --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1.2 --- Physical and chemical properties of glyphosate --- p.2 / Chapter 1.1.3 --- Commercial formulations based on glyphosate --- p.3 / Chapter 1.1.4 --- Overview of ecotoxicological studies of glyphosate-based formulations --- p.4 / Chapter 1.1.4.1 --- Aquatic toxicity of glyphosate-based formulations --- p.4 / Chapter 1.1.4.2 --- Environmental fate of glyphosate-based formulations in waters --- p.12 / Chapter 1.1.5 --- Interaction of glyphosate and other substances --- p.14 / Chapter 1.2 --- Overview of Aquatic and Sediment Toxicology --- p.16 / Chapter 1.2.1 --- Aquatic toxicology --- p.16 / Chapter 1.2.2 --- Introduction to sediment toxicology --- p.19 / Chapter 1.3 --- "Significance, Outline and Objectives of the Present Study" --- p.20 / Chapter 1.3.1 --- Significance of the research --- p.20 / Chapter 1.3.2 --- Thesis outlines and research objectives --- p.22 / Chapter Chapter 2 --- Aquatic Toxicity of Glyphosate-based Herbicides to Different Organisms and the Effects of Environmental Factors / Chapter 2.1 --- Introduction --- p.25 / Chapter 2.2 --- Materials and Methods --- p.26 / Chapter 2.2.1 --- Test organisms --- p.26 / Chapter 2.2.2 --- Test chemicals --- p.27 / Chapter 2.2.3 --- Comparison between different organisms --- p.27 / Chapter 2.2.4 --- Environmental factors in modifying Roundup® toxicity --- p.30 / Chapter 2.2.5 --- Analysis of glyphosate concentration --- p.31 / Chapter 2.2.6 --- Validity of tests and statistical analyses --- p.32 / Chapter 2.3 --- Results --- p.32 / Chapter 2.3.1 --- Comparison between different groups of organisms --- p.32 / Chapter 2.3.2 --- Environmental factors in modifying Roundup® toxicity to C.dubia --- p.35 / Chapter 2.4 --- Discussion --- p.36 / Chapter 2.4.1 --- Toxicity of glyphosate to photo synthetic organisms --- p.36 / Chapter 2.4.2 --- pH-associated toxicity of glyphosate --- p.37 / Chapter 2.4.3 --- High potency of surfactant --- p.38 / Chapter 2.4.4 --- Effects of environmental factors on Roundup® toxicity --- p.38 / Chapter 2.5 --- Conclusions --- p.39 / Chapter Chapter 3 --- "Toxicity of Rodeo®, Roundup® Biactive and Roundup® to Water-column and Benthic Organisms and the Effect of Organic Carbon on Sediment Toxicity" / Chapter 3.1 --- Introduction --- p.41 / Chapter 3.2 --- Materials and Methods --- p.43 / Chapter 3.2.1 --- Test chemicals --- p.43 / Chapter 3.2.2 --- Test organisms --- p.43 / Chapter 3.2.3 --- Toxicities to water-column and benthic organisms --- p.44 / Chapter 3.2.4 --- Effect of sediment organic carbon --- p.45 / Chapter 3.2.5 --- Statistical analyses --- p.48 / Chapter 3.3 --- Results --- p.48 / Chapter 3.3.1 --- Toxicities to water-column and benthic organisms --- p.48 / Chapter 3.3.2 --- Effect of sediment organic carbon --- p.49 / Chapter 3.4 --- Discussion --- p.54 / Chapter 3.4.1 --- Different sensitivities between water-column and bethic animals --- p.54 / Chapter 3.4.2 --- Relative toxicities of three herbicides --- p.56 / Chapter 3.4.3 --- Route of exposure of herbicides in sediment to organisms --- p.57 / Chapter 3.4.4 --- Sediment toxicity of glyphosate-based formulations --- p.58 / Chapter 3.4.5 --- Effect of organic carbon on partitioning and toxicity --- p.60 / Chapter 3.5 --- Conclusions --- p.61 / Chapter Chapter 4 --- Joint Toxicity of Glyphosate and Several Selected Environmental Pollutants to Ceriodaphnia dubia / Chapter 4.1 --- Introduction --- p.63 / Chapter 4.2 --- Materials and Methods --- p.65 / Chapter 4.2.1 --- Test organisms and toxicity tests --- p.65 / Chapter 4.2.2 --- Test chemicals --- p.66 / Chapter 4.2.3 --- Experiment I: Joint acute toxicity of Roundup® and nine toxicants --- p.66 / Chapter 4.2.4 --- Experiment II： Effect of IPA salt of glyphosate alone at EEC on toxicities of heavy metals --- p.67 / Chapter 4.2.5 --- Basic water properties and chemical analyses --- p.69 / Chapter 4.2.6 --- Statistical analyses --- p.70 / Chapter 4.3 --- Results --- p.70 / Chapter 4.3.1 --- General conditions and recovery for spiked chemicals --- p.70 / Chapter 4.3.2 --- Experiment I: Joint acute toxicity of Roundup® and nine toxicants --- p.71 / Chapter 4.3.3 --- Experiment II: Effect of IPA salt of glyphosate alone at EEC on toxicities of heavy metals --- p.73 / Chapter 4.4 --- Discussion --- p.75 / Chapter 4.4.1 --- Interactions of Roundup® and other toxicants --- p.75 / Chapter 4.4.2 --- Joint toxicity of dissimilar chemicals --- p.77 / Chapter 4.4.3 --- Complexation of glyphosate with metals interactions between liquid/solid phases --- p.79 / Chapter 4.5 --- Conclusions --- p.83 / Chapter Chapter 5 --- Environmental Fate of Glyphosate and its Nontarget Impact: a Case Study in Hong Kong / Chapter 5.1 --- Introduction --- p.85 / Chapter 5.2 --- Materials and Methods --- p.87 / Chapter 5.2.1 --- Description of study sites --- p.87 / Chapter 5.2.2 --- Physicochemical characteristics of different matrices --- p.88 / Chapter 5.2.3 --- Continuous weather monitoring --- p.89 / Chapter 5.2.4 --- Herbicide applications --- p.89 / Chapter 5.2.5 --- Experimental designs --- p.90 / Chapter 5.2.5.1 --- Estuarine enclosure experiment --- p.90 / Chapter 5.2.5.2 --- Freshwater pond experiment --- p.92 / Chapter 5.2.6 --- Schedule of sample collection and sample storage --- p.92 / Chapter 5.2.7 --- Sample preparation --- p.94 / Chapter 5.2.7.1 --- Water samples --- p.94 / Chapter 5.2.7.2 --- Sediment samples --- p.94 / Chapter 5.2.8 --- Sample determination --- p.95 / Chapter 5.2.8.1 --- Pre-column derivatization --- p.95 / Chapter 5.2.8.2 --- High performance liquid chromatography analyses --- p.95 / Chapter 5.2.8.3 --- Calibration of glyphosate and AMPA --- p.95 / Chapter 5.2.8.4 --- Recovery of glyphosate in spiked samples --- p.96 / Chapter 5.2.9 --- Statistical analyses --- p.96 / Chapter 5.3 --- Results --- p.96 / Chapter 5.3.1 --- Site characteristics --- p.96 / Chapter 5.3.2 --- Weather conditions during herbicide application --- p.99 / Chapter 5.3.3 --- Chemical analyses --- p.100 / Chapter 5.3.4 --- In-situ toxicity tests --- p.104 / Chapter 5.4 --- Discussion --- p.106 / Chapter 5.4.1 --- Site-specific factor affecting the environmental fate --- p.106 / Chapter 5.4.1 --- Site-specific factor affecting the environmental fate of glyphosate --- p.106 / Chapter 5.4.2 --- Glyphosate in water and sediment --- p.106 / Chapter 5.4.3 --- Homogeneity of glyphosate in surface water and sediment --- p.109 / Chapter 5.4.4 --- Effect of weather conditions on environmental fate of glyphosate --- p.109 / Chapter 5.4.5 --- Biological impact of Roundup® --- p.110 / Chapter 5.5 --- Conclusions --- p.112 / Chapter Chapter 6 --- General Conclusions --- p.113 / References --- p.119

Although the use of pesticides is necessary to meet the socio-economic needs of many developing countries, especially in Africa, side effects of these bio-active chemicals have contributed to contaminating aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Environmental water quality degradation by pesticides interferes with ecosystem health and poses numerous risks to aquatic life. In South Africa, glyphosate-based herbicides are frequently used to control weeds and invading alien plants, but ultimately end up in freshwater ecosystems. However, there are no South African-based environmental water quality management strategies to regulate these bio-active chemicals. Therefore, this study sought to provide a sound scientific background for the environmental water quality management of glyphosate-based herbicides in South Africa, by conducting both laboratory and field investigations. In the laboratory investigations, aquatic ecotoxicological methods were used to evaluate responses of the freshwater aquatic shrimp Caridina nilotica exposed to Roundup® at different biological system scales, and the responses of multiple South African aquatic species exposed to Roundup® through species sensitivity distribution (SSD). In the field investigations, the effect of Kilo Max WSG on the physicochemical and biological conditions of three selected sites in the Swartkops River before and after a spray episode by Working for Water were evaluated through biomonitoring, using the South African Scoring System version 5 (SASS5) as a sampling protocol. Both Roundup® and Kilo Max WSG are glyphosate-based herbicides. All the data were subjected to relevant statistical analyses. Findings of this study revealed that Roundup® elicited responses at different biological system scales in C. nilotica, while SSD estimates were used to derive proposed water quality guidelines for glyphosate-based herbicides in South Africa. The biomonitoring revealed that using glyphosate-based herbicides to control water hyacinth within the Swartkops River had a negligible impact on the physicochemical and biological conditions. Based on these findings, a conceptual framework that can be used for the integrated environmental water quality management of glyphosate-based herbicides in South Africa was developed as part of integrated water resource management (IWRM). The combined data sets contribute to a sound scientific basis for the environmental water quality management of glyphosate-based herbicides in South Africa.