Analysis of pesticides and metals in freshwater biofilms: development of a methodology for studying environmental impact associated to pesticides treatment on vineyards

We present here the results of a study including the development and validation of analytical methods for the measurement of an herbicide (diuron and its main metabolites) and metals (As, Cu, Zn) in freshwater periphyton and their application on site. Samples of periphyton, surface water and sediment were collected during the spring and summer 2005 in two small streams of the Beaujolais (France) submitted to a gradient of contamination due to pesticide treatment on vineyards, in order to study the spatial and temporal variation of periphyton contamination.