Acrylamide monomer leaching from polyacrylamide-treated irrigation furrows

Lentz, R.D. and Andrawes, F.F. and Barvenik, F.W. and Koehn, A.C. (2008) Acrylamide monomer leaching from polyacrylamide-treated irrigation furrows. Journal of Environmental Quality. 37:2293-2298.

PDF 1280.pdf Download (719kB)

Abstract

Water-soluble anionic polyacrylamide (WSPAM), which
is used to reduce erosion in furrow irrigated fields and other
agriculture applications, contains less than 0.05% acrylamide
monomer (AMD). Acrylamide monomer, a potent neurotoxicant
and suspected carcinogen, is readily dissolved and transported in
flowing water. The study quantified AMD leaching losses from
a WSPAM-treated corn (Zea mays L.) field using continuous
extraction-walled percolation samplers buried at 1.2 m depth.
The samplers were placed 30 and 150 m from the inflow source
along a 180-m-long corn field. The field was furrow irrigated
using WSPAM at the rate of 10 mg L−1 during furrow advance.
Percolation water and furrow inflows were monitored for AMD
during and after three furrow irrigations. The samples were
analyzed for AMD using a gas chromatograph equipped with an
electron-capture detector. Furrow inflows contained an average
AMD concentration of 5.5 μg L−1. The AMD in percolation
water samples never exceeded the minimum detection limit and
the de facto potable water standard of 0.5 μg L−1. The risk that
ground water beneath these WSPAM-treated furrow irrigated
soils will be contaminated with AMD appears minimal.

Item Type:	Article
NWISRL Publication Number:	1280
Subjects:	Irrigation > Furrow irrigation > Erosion > Polyacrylamide
Depositing User:	Users 6 not found.
Date Deposited:	18 Dec 2008 22:01
Last Modified:	18 Oct 2016 15:22
Item ID:	1303
URI:	https://eprints.nwisrl.ars.usda.gov/id/eprint/1303