Radiometric strategy to track nanopesticides: An important approach to understand the fate, mechanisms of action and toxicity

Nanopesticides are an innovative tool for crop protection, demonstrating the potential to replace conventional pesticides used in agriculture worldwide. Before their commercialization and use, careful evaluation of nanopesticides (environmental fate, toxicity, efficacy, modes of action, and agroecosystem interactions) is required. To ensure the environmental safety of nanopesticides, the standardization of protocols in the evaluation of nanoformulation regulatory aspects is needed. In this sense, we consider that radiometric techniques may be applied in the same way as conventional pesticide regulatory tests. This method can be used to track active ingredients in a biological and environmental system, together with other techniques for characterizing nanomaterials. In this review (1) we share our point of view about the use of radiolabeled pesticides to track nanoformulations in biological and environmental scenarios; and (2) we offer a critical discussion about the advantages and challenges of using radiometric techniques to track these active ingredients associated with nanoformulations.& COPY; 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Nanopesticides are a promising alternative to conventional pesticides in agriculture, but thorough evaluation of their environmental impact and efficacy is necessary before their commercialization. The use of radiometric techniques can help track active ingredients of nanopesticides in biological and environmental systems, in addition to other characterization techniques for nanomaterials. This article provides a perspective on using radiolabeled pesticides to monitor nanoformulations and discusses the advantages and challenges associated with this approach.