Contamination of water resources by agrochemicals used in agricultural crops: a review from the ecological and human health risk

The widespread use of agrochemicals in agriculture leads to significant environmental contamination, particularly in water resources. These toxic substances directly harm aquatic ecosystems and, through bioaccumulation and biomagnification, affect the food chain, ultimately impacting the health of communities reliant on these water sources for drinking. However, esticides, despite their low concentrations, can persist and travel long distances, significantly affecting the environment. A search conducted using Web of Science and co-occurrence analysis gathered scientific articles on the subject. Key findings indicate that agricultural activities primarily contaminate water resources with agrochemicals, requiring specialized analytical techniques for concentration identification. All case studies analyzed establish a direct link between ecological risks and human health effects. Considering that most consulted research addressed the issue of contamination in both surface and groundwater sources concurrently, the higher concentrations of agrochemicals were predominantly associated with surface water.