Waterborne Presentations at SETAC Latin America 16^th Biennial Meeting – August 26 – 29, 2025 in Lima, Peru

August 13, 2025 | Waterborne News |

Waterborn

Waterborne is proud to announce that our Prinicpal, Amy Ritter, has co-authored two presentations that have been accepted for this year's SETAC Latin America's 16th Annual Biennial Meeting! Held August 26th-29th in Lima, Peru, the meeting will, "Embrace holistic, dynamic and science-driven environmental regulations."

Amy's presentations are:

Thursday 28-August /2025 at 3 pm in Auditorio Principal

Title: Protecting the Environment by Developing Aquatic Risk Assessment and Management Tools for Latin America

Authors:
Ximena Patino, Bayer S.A. Colombia This Author Is the Presenter
Amy Ritter, Waterborne Environmental Inc. United States
Richard Franklin, CropLife Latin America Colombia

Abstract:
Since the establishment of a framework for performing environmental risk assessments within the registration process of pesticides in the Andean countries, both regulators and industry have spent efforts to improve the scientific basis for the aquatic exposure assessments for plant protection products. In 2017, CropLife Latin America engaged in the development of two aquatic models with support of Waterborne Environmental: The Andean Aquatic Screening Tool, and the Andean Pesticide Exposure Simulation Tool ANDES. The development of these models required good understanding of local cropping and climatic conditions, agricultural practices, and for which a collaboration between industry, the environmental agencies from Peru and Colombia and Waterborne was established. In the ANDES model, various local surface water exposure scenarios were generated, for Colombia banana, plantain, potato, tomato, dry rice and coffee, and for Peru maize, asparagus, avocado and grapes. For the first time in Latin America, a paddy rice model with local scenarios representing the agronomic practices in paddy rice in Colombia and Peru was generated and included in the ANDES model. Additionally, as the use of mitigation measures is also a crucial element in reducing surface water runoff, soil erosion, drift and off-site movement of plant protection products, this initiative also included the implementation of similar mitigation measures within the Andean Aquatic Screening Tool and the ANDES model, varying in the degree of conservativism within both models.

This presentation will showcase the development of the Andean Aquatic Screening Tool and the Andean Pesticide Exposure Simulation Tool ANDES, the challenges and experiences during these years. The implementation of these methods into the regulatory aquatic risk assessment of pesticides enables the assessor to operationalize and quantify the impact of the run-off and drift mitigation measures on the predicted environmental concentration in surface water, thus helping to protect the environment and improving agricultural practice in Latin America.

Thursday 28-August /2025 at 3:30 pm in Auditorio Principal

Incorporating Exposure Mitigation Options into the Aquatic Risk Assessment and Risk Management of Pesticides in Brazil

Authors:
Rafael Ramon, BASF Corporation Brazil This Author Is the Presenter
Romulo Scorza Junior, Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) Brazil
Ximena Patino, Bayer S.A. Colombia
Gustavo Santos, Syngenta Ltd Brazil
Kevin Armbrust, Louisiana State University United States
Jane Tang, Bayer CropScience US United States
Robin Sur, Bayer Research & Development Services LLC Germany
Bernhard Jene, BASF SE Germany
Rafael Muñoz-Carpena, University of Florida United States
Amy Ritter, Waterborne Environmental Inc. United States

Abstract:
The environmental risk assessment of pesticides is a critical process that focuses on the evaluation of potential risks to non-target organisms and the environment associated with the use of pesticides before they are introduced into the market or used in agricultural landscapes. Brazil is currently developing a framework for Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) of pesticides, following the new Pesticide Law 14.785/2023. This framework involves a tiered approach, in which Estimated Environmental Concentrations (EECs) are predicted using mathematical models generated from pesticide environmental fate data. Exposure scenarios were developed to be used in the Pesticide in Water Calculator (PWC) tool. Higher tier models and refinement options allow us to best reproduce the realistic field conditions. Additionally, exposure mitigation measures are valuable methods to reduce the EECs according to the main exposure routes (runoff, erosion or drift). Therefore, the objective of this study is to propose a list of mitigation measures that could be implemented within the Brazilian ERA, and that fits with the agricultural landscape and practices. The mitigation measures already used by regulatory authorities of other regions (USEPA, EFSA and others) were compiled as the basis for an initial proposal list. Thereafter, some criteria (i.e. description, process to mitigate, applicability in Brazil, effectiveness and others) were used to classify and rank them in order to reach a final proposal list. Alternative tools (e.g. Vegetative Filter Strip Modeling System - VFSMOD) and methods to be implemented in the exposure assessment with PWC is presented. The implementation of these mitigation measures into the regulatory risk assessment for pesticides will enable risk assessors and managers to quantify the impact of runoff/erosion or drift mitigation measures on the EECs in surface water calculated with the PWC model. In conclusion, incorporating vegetative filter strips and other mitigation options into the aquatic risk assessment and risk management of pesticides in Brazil is essential for protecting aquatic ecosystems. The tiered approach, crop-specific scenarios, potential refinements, and mitigation measures all play a vital role in reducing pesticide exposure and ensuring the sustainability of Brazilian agricultural practices. By adopting these measures, farmers can contribute to the protection of water resources while maintaining productive and profitable farming operations.

Zack: While there wasn't a ton of information on AI at the conference, I did have some multiple discussions with people after my presentation about machine learning. We had some interesting conversations about the roles of machine learning vs mechanistic modeling, and how machine learning could be leveraged to improve mechanistic models. I think a common theme (not restricted to this year), is constantly trying to improve modeling; whether it’s through adding or tweaking modules in existing models, or taking novel approaches with spatially explicit modeling. I tried to jump around a bit more and catch some talks on sustainability and climate change as well. EPAs presentation on climate change was about 75% the same as last years, so progress there is pretty slow. There wasn’t a whole lot of on-field sustainability other than BMP, but attention was drawn to sustainability from a larger scope, through the whole life-cycle.

Andy: I’m biased by the symposia I attended, but there was definitely a lot of focus on ESA topics and methods for refining exposure to endangered species. This is not surprising given recent developments at the EPA (e.g., ESA workplan).

Nick: I would say that there were a few topics covered in multiple talks. In addition to ESA, there were several talks on pesticide runoff mitigation, specifically related to BMP’s. There was a session on drone pesticide application where the main topics were BMPs for spraying with a drone as well as a few talks on field studies/modeling of spray drift from drones.

Andy: We didn’t do too much outside of the conference, but we were able to attend a Giants baseball game where Zack tried the signature garlic fries. We also wandered around down near Fisherman’s Wharf where we had views of Alcatraz, the Golden Gate bridge, and the famous sea lions.