SYNOPS 1.1: a model to assess and to compare the environmental risk potential of active ingredients in plant protection products

Agri-environmental indicators are necessary to monitor the effectiveness of policies which promote sustainable agriculture. The model SYNOPS 1.1 will assess and compare the risk potential for the environment of active ingredients of plant protection products. It consists of five main steps: assessment of the application pattern of pesticides; assessment of environmental exposure of chemicals; assessment of the related biological risk; aggregation of the calculated indices and visualisation of the risk potentials. The model principles are applied to the best-selling insecticides in Germany in 1987 and 1994 to compare the risk situations. The model calculated a decline of risk potential in 1994 caused by changes in ranking of pesticides and by a considerable reduction in the number of potential pesticide applications. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.