Abstract
Lake Titicaca is an important water resource and the ecological balance of the Peruvian-Bolivian Andean plateau depends on it. At present, it is being disturbed by poor water resource management practices, which is why persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were monitored in sediments from 13 sampling stations in the Inner Bay of Lake Titicaca (Puno, Peru). The samples were lyophilized and stored at -70°C for further analysis. For the validation of the analytical method, the following parameters were considered: recovery, repetition and uncertainty of all the compounds studied. The POPs were determined by gas chromatography coupled to an electron capture detector, and the presence of β-BHC, 0.018 μg/g; o,p´-DDE, 0.0011 μg/g; dicofol 0.0065 μg/g and endosulfan sulfate 0.0061 μg/g were detected. On the other hand, PAHs were determined by liquid chromatography coupled to a fluorescence detector, confirming the presence of naphthalene, 0.058 μg/g; pyrene, 0.039 μg/g; benzo(a)anthracene, 0.571 μg/g and chrysene, 0.033 μg/g. The presence of POPs and PAHs evidences an environmental risk for the species that inhabit the ecosystem of this lake.
Highlights
Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world, 3810 meters above sea level
The presence of organochlorine compounds in sediment samples of Lake Titicaca, which is a source of food and fresh water for a large part of the population of Puno city and the population at its shores, could pose a great risk to the health of people who make use of this lake, because several studies, among them, (Nakata et al, 2005) show the presence of these compounds in human adipose tissue at concentrations of 4.2 to 19 μg/g for DDTs and from 0.0017 to 0.097 μg/g for p,p’-DDE/DDTs
Studies show that the half-life of endosulfan sulfate is approximately 120 days, (Bhalerao, 2013), so the presence of this compound in the samples analyzed shows the constant use of this molecule in agricultural areas near the Inner Bay of Lake Titicaca
Summary
Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world, 3810 meters above sea level. It is located in the tropical Andes (northern Altiplan of Peru and Bolivia). Lake waters mainly comes from precipitation on the lake (47 %), and rivers and streams (53 %) (Roche, Bourges, & Mattos, 1992). This lake is an important source of fresh water for the population who lives around it and is home to endemic species (Kroll et al, 2012). There is little information related to the presence of organic contaminants in this lake
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Schedule a callMore From: Revista de Investigaciones Altoandinas - Journal of High Andean Research
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