Environmental and Human Health Risks of Pesticide Presence in the Lake Tana Basin (Ethiopia)

Pesticides are widely used for safeguarding agricultural yields and controlling malaria vectors, yet simultaneously unintentionally introduced in aquatic environments. To assess the severity of this pressure Lake Tana Basin (Ethiopia), we evaluated occurrence 17 pesticide residues lake, tributary rivers, associated wetlands during wet dry season, followed by a questionnaire. These questionnaires indicated that 35 different compounds were available districts surrounding including pesticides banned Europe, i.e., endosulfan, dicofol, malathion. Nevertheless, only 7 detected assessed habitats. Of these, DDE bifenthrin occurred most often (97.7% 62.3%, respectively), while alachlor displayed highest mean concentration (594 ± 468 ng/L). No significant differences observed residue concentrations between seasons nor Based on an ecotoxicological risk assessment, cypermethrin pose high to life, DDT-op below threshold values. Furthermore, human assessment low population directly consumes water from basin, acknowledging potential indirect exposure through consumption fish locally grown crops.