Organochlorine pesticides in surface soils from obsolete pesticide dumping ground in Hyderabad City, Pakistan: Contamination levels and their potential for air–soil exchange

Mianzhu—Aba profile, east of the Tibetan Plateau, was selected to study the occurrence of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) along an altitudinal gradient. Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs), hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) and Aldrin, Dieldrin and Endrin (Drins) in surface soils were detected in winter (March) and summer (July). Soil concentrations (ng·g−1, dw) in winter and summer ranged as follws: DDTs, 0.37–179.16 and 0.32–42.57; HCHs, 0.14–10.76 and 0.55–32.71; Drins, N.D-3.99 and 0.02–6.93, respectively. Main soil OCPs were p,p′-DDT, p,p′-DDE, β-HCH and Drins, among which Drins were rarely reported in current literature of the Tibetan Plateau. Higher OCP concentrations in the profile were attributed close to the agricultural fields of the Sichuan Basin, current lindane and nondicofol DDTs inputs, and also long-range atmospheric transport from abroad. Soil OCP concentrations underwent obvious seasonal variation, with higher DDTs in winter and higher HCHs and Drins in summer. It may be caused by climatic conditions, summer monsoon type, and physico-chemical properties of such contaminants. Though “rest” phenomenon occurred in some sampling sites, HCHs and Drins showed an increasing trend with increasing altitude, while DDTs showed an evident decrease with increasing altitude. The altitudinal distributions of OCPs were all consistent with previous findings in other mountainous regions. A primary fugacity analysis on OCPs soil-air exchange indicated that the profile may be secondary sources for HCHs and Endrin. As with Aldrin, Dieldrin, and DDTs, the profile may be both secondary sources and sinks.

Occurrence of 17 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and 15 persistent organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (GC/MS/MS) during the spring and summer of 2015 in surface water at 14 sampling sites in the mainstream of the Luanhe River to elucidate their seasonal distribution, composition, and potential sources. Results showed that total PAH concentrations in the surface water of the Luanhe River ranged from 33.33 ng·L-1 to 90.65 ng·L-1(52.64 ng·L-1 in average) in spring and 147.68 ng·L-1 to 252.68 ng·L-1 (169.88 ng·L-1 in average) in summer, respectively, and total concentrations of OCPs ranged from <0.08 ng·L-1 to 3.48 ng·L-1 (1.19 ng·L-1 in average) in spring and <0.08 to 5.47 ng·L-1(1.02 ng·L-1 in average) in summer, respectively. Seasonal pollution characteristics of PAHs in surface water during two different seasons showed that total PAH concentrations were much higher in summer than in spring at each sampling site on the Luanhe River. While seasonal pollution characteristics of OCPs showed that total OCP concentrations were much lower in spring than in summer at six sites including Luanxian, Daheiting reservoir dam, Panjiakou Village, Guojiatun, Qujiawan, and Baichengzi, and were higher in spring than in summer at the remaining eight sites. From the perspective of spatial and temporal variations in the composition patterns of PAHs and OCPs in surface water of the Luanhe River, the low and middle ring species of PAHs were dominant in spring and summer and the proportion of PAHs with different rings showed significant differences. Three-ring PAHs dominated the samples with 51.18% and 67.55% (61.39% on average) of total PAHs in spring, and four-ring and two-ring PAHs accounted for 11.78%-33.94% (20.97% on average) and 13.31%-27.12% (16.94% on average), respectively. In the summer, In the summer, naphthalene(Nap) was the main component of total PAHs at each sampling site and PAHs were predominated by two-ring compounds with 77.08% and 90.62% (83.34% on average) of the total, and by three-ring and four-ring compounds with 7.09%-15.22% (12.40% on average) and 2.23%-7.49% (3.97% on average), respectively. Only the residues of hexachlorocyclohexanes(HCHs) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes(DDTs) were detected in surface water of the Luanhe River at different degrees and HCHs were the dominant compounds. β-HCH was the main pollutant at most sampling sites with 43.78% and 70.09% (56.25% on average) of total HCHs in the spring and with 53.63% and 64.31% (58.37% on average) in the summer. α-HCH and γ-HCH were abundant at other sampling sites. Source analysis based on the isomer ratios indicated that PAHs in the Luanhe River mainly originated from combustion sources and also likely from petroleum processes. Ratios of OCPs confirmed that historical residues and long-range atmospheric transport were the major sources of HCHs in the study area, and new sources of lindane or γ-HCH existed at Wulongji and Sandaohezi in the spring and Daheting reservoir dam in the summer. Fresh inputs at the Panjiakou reservoir dam, Sandaohezi, Waigoumenzi, Baichengzi, Zhenglanqi, and the Shandianhe reservoir, and environmental residues at Jianggezhuang and Guojiatun were the major sources of DDTs. Concentrations of single PAHs in surface water of the Luanhe River did not exceed the water quality standards of China and other countries except that chrysene(Chr) exceeded the United States national water quality standard. Individual PAHs did not exceed any safety guidelines for aquatic organisms that are exposed to PAHs in water but total concentrations of PAHs exceeded the threshold limits set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the European Union. This result indicated that consuming fish and other aquatic animals might pose a potential threat to human health due to the bioaccumulation of PAHs in aquatic organisms. The concentrations of OCPs in surface water of the Luanhe River did not exceed any water quality standards or the aquatic life threshold limits for freshwater developed by the EPA. However, the concentrations of α-HCH at Jianggezhuang, Wulongji, Qujiawan, and Baichengziand sites in the spring and at the Panjiakou reservoir dam, Panjiakou village, Qujiawan, and Baichengzi sites in the summer, and concentrations of p,p'-DDD at the Shandianhe reservoir and p,p'-DDE at Jianggezhuang, Sandaohezi, Guojiatun, and Shandianhe reservoir in the spring exceeded the human health ambient water quality criteria limit developed by the EPA. This result suggests that α-HCH, p,p'-DDE, and p,p'-DDD pose a potential health risk to the residents who live near the sampling sites on the Luanhe River.

Organochlorine pesticides are groups of chemicals applied to prevent pest and insect infestation. This study was aimed at investigating the concentration, potential sources, cancer risk and ecological toxicity of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in Huangpi district, Wuhan, China. Eight OCPs in soil samples collected from four land-use types at depths of 0–10 and 10–20 cm were examined. Sample extraction was carried out by solid phase matrix extraction method and analyzed using Agilent gas chromatograph 7890B equipped with electron capture detectors (ECD). The total concentration of OCPs ranged from 0.00–32.7 ng g−1 in the surface and 0.01–100.45 ng g−1 in the subsurface soil layer. Beta hexachlorocyclohexanes (β-HCH) with 2.20 and 7.71 ng g−1 in the surface and subsurface soil layers, respectively, was the dominant compound. The mean concentrations of OCPs in all samples were less than the threshold values for hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDTs) in China soil. Concentration of OCPs in the four land-use types were in the order of: paddy field > barren land > farmland > plastic greenhouse. Results of composition analysis revealed recent application of lindane as a major and historical use of new technical HCHs as a minor source of HCHs. On the other hand, application of new technical p,p’-DDT is the main source of DDTs in the study area. The estimated lifetime average daily dose, incremental lifetime cancer risks and hazard quotient values revealed that there is less likelihood of carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic health risks on the local residents.

The concentrations of typical organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) (DDTs, HCHs, PCP-Na, and HCB) were measured to understand distribution and source of OCPs in surface and columnar sediments of Poyang Lake in 2006. And OCPS concentrations in surface sediment in 2017 were made a comparison with those in 2006 at several same sampling sites. OCPs showed higher concentrations in main stream than in river mouths (entrance of river flow into lake) of the lake. The average concentrations of HCHs and DDTs were 4.63 ± 3.86 and 20.15 ± 26.86 ng/g in surface sediments in 2006, respectively. Concentrations of OCPs in 2017 were lower than in 2006, such as HCHs average 1.98 ± 2.04 ng/g and DDTs average 4.87 ± 1.48 ng/g in 2017, indicating historical residual and degradation. The primary isomers of HCHs and DDTs in the lake were α-HCH, γ-HCH and p,p′-DDD, respectively. HCHs were from historical residual and lindane application. DDTs were from historical residual. PCP-Na total concentrations in surface sediment were 77.36 ng/g in 2006 and 44.04 ng/g in 2017. The concentration of HCB residues in surface sediment was 0.92 ± 0.90 ng/g in 2006 and 0.42 ± 0.38 ng/g in 2017. The concentrations of OCPs in columnar sediments showed annual variations, and the peak concentrations occurred in 1953, 1961, 1974, 1982, and 1995, showing close relations with onset of production OCPs pesticide in 1950s and its later prohibition in 1980s and a large number agricultural cultivated land decrease in 1990s in China. The concentrations of HCB in columnar sediments were average 2.33 ± 1.26 ng/g. OCPs of columnar sediments were from historical residues and lindane input. The main contamination of OCPs was PCP-Na and p,p′-DDD in Poyang Lake. On the whole, the combination of surface samples (0–5 cm in depth) and columnar samples (0–38 cm in depth) in a single study would give insight into OCPs pollution levels in different years (temporal resolution) and in different regions (spatial resolution) in Poyang Lake.

Assessment, Composition and Possible Source of Organochlorine Pesticides in Surface Soils from Ürümqi, China

Surface soil samples were collected in two karst Tiankengs, Dashiwei and Datuo, situated within the Dashiwei Tiankeng group, located in Leye County of Guangxi province, South China. The soil samples were analyzed for 23 kinds of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) using a gas chromatography electron capture detector device. The results showed that the concentrations of OCPs in soils of Dashiwei Tiankeng ranged from 0.03 to 5.13 ng/g for total OCPs, not detectable (ND) to 0.22 ng/g for Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCHs), and 0.01 to 3.61 ng/g for Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and metabolites (DDTs). Concentration of the total OCPs in soils of Datuo Tiankeng ranged from 0.13 to 14.36 ng/g, ND to 0.39 ng/g for HCHs, and 0.01 to 3.28 ng/g for DDTs. These concentrations indicated that there could be new inputs of HCHs and DDTs from recent application of lindane and dicofol in this area. Further analysis also revealed that the concentration of OCPs at the bottom of both Tiankengs was higher than the top. The variability in concentrations between the top and the bottom was attributed to the “cold trapping effect” for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in karst Tiankeng topography. The difference in temperature between the top and bottom of Tiankeng is a predominating factor which can cause a POPs “cold trapping effect.” Other environmental factors are proposed to explain the difference in concentration such as humidity, topography (or slope), wind speed, wind direction, solar radiation, vegetation cover, and soil organic matter. The environmental condition of Dashiwei Tiankeng appears to favor the accumulation of OCPs than that of Datuo Tiankeng because Dashiwei Tiankeng is a matured Tiankeng but Datuo Tiankeng is a degraded one. Thus, there is the need for further studies on the environmental factors influencing distribution of OCPs in karst Tiankeng.

Selected pesticidal POPs and metabolites in the soil of five Vietnamese cities: Sources, fate, and health risk implications

The content of organochlorine pesticides in water has a negative impact on human health and the environment. The aim of this study was to determine the content of organochlorine pesticides DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane), DDE (dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene), 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4–D) and hexachlorocyclohexane (α–HCCH, γ–HCCH) in the surface waters of the Kurgan Region (Oblast). This article discusses the content of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4 –D) and organochlorine pesticides (OCP) in surface waters (rivers). The following types of pesticides were determined in water: 2,4–D, α–HCCH (hexachlorocyclohexane), γ–HCCH, DDE (dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene), DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane). Water sampling and measurement of the mass concentration of 2,4-D were carried out in accordance with GOST 31861. The equipment used for water sampling always complied with GOST 31861. In our study, the sample was transferred unfiltered into glass bottles with a capacity of 0.5 - 1 dm3 using a sampler and sealed with ground glass or wrapped with Teflon foil (or aluminum foil), cork or polypropylene stoppers. The use of rubber stoppers and plastic utensils was not permitted. Water samples were taken for the study from April to September. The surface water of the Tobol River and the Uy River was examined in different parts of the region. Sampling in the rivers took place in spring and autumn, at a depth of 0.3 m. A total of 238 water samples were taken during the study period (2015-2022) (34 samples per year). In the Tobol and Uy rivers (Belozerskoye, Kostousovo, Arbinka, Ust-Uyskoye, Zverinogolovskoye villages), no detectable concentrations of pesticides were found at a depth of 0.3 m. The measurements are based on the extraction of herbicides from acidified water samples by extraction with diethyl ether. 2,4-D, α-HCCH (hexachlorocyclohexane), γ-HCCH, DDE (dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene), DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) were determined using gas-liquid chromatography; a Color-800 gas chromatograph was used to determine these pesticides. The analyzes for organochlorine pesticides were carried out at the Kurgan Center for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring of the Federal State Budgetary Institution "Ural Department of Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring". No concentrations of the organochlorine pesticides dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), 2,4 – D, hexachlorocyclohexane α – HCCH, γ – HCCH were detected during the study of surface waters of the Kurgan region in 2015-2022. The problem of water pollution by organochlorine pesticides in the Kurgan region is not of global significance. The content of organochlorine pesticides in water has a negative impact on human health and the environment.

The Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) is at risk of extinction throughout its range as a result of incidental catches, habitat degradation, and pollution. Populations of Irrawaddy dolphins are constrained by the species' narrow habitat requirement-lagoons, estuaries, rivers, and lakes-and are therefore particularly vulnerable to the effects of human activities. In this study, for the first time, concentrations of organochlorine (OC) pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were determined in tissues of Irrawaddy dolphins collected from Chilika Lake, India, to understand the status of contamination. Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and its metabolites (DDTs) were the predominant contaminants found in Irrawaddy dolphins; the highest concentration found was 10,000 ng/g lipid weight in blubber. Hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) were the second most prevalent contaminants in dolphin tissues. Concentrations of PCBs, chlordanes, hexachlorobenzene, tris(4-chlorophenyl)methane, and tris(4-chlorophenyl)methanol were in the ranges of few ng/g to few hundreds of ng/g on a lipid-weight basis. In general, concentrations of OC pesticides and PCBs in Irrawaddy dolphins were lower than the concentrations reported for coastal and riverine dolphins collected in Asia. PBDEs were detected in the blubber of Irrawaddy dolphins at concentrations ranging from 0.98 to 18 ng/g lipid weight. BDE congener 47 accounted for 60% to 75% of the total PBDE concentrations. Although these results establish the baseline levels of persistent organic pollutants in Irrawaddy dolphins, efforts should be made to decrease the sources of contamination by DDTs and HCHs in Chilika Lake.

Comparison of using polyurethane foam passive samplers and tree bark samples from Western China to determine atmospheric organochlorine pesticide

To evaluate the contamination of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in marine organisms and their potential health risk on consumers in the northern Yellow Sea of China, mollusks, wild shrimps, and crabs were collected from the Yantai coast, and the OCP contents in the samples were analyzed and compared. The results indicate that all the samples have been contaminated by OCPs, and OCP concentrations varied in individual species and in sampling sites. Among the studied OCPs, ∑HCH and ∑DDT concentrations ranged from 0.91 to 13.92ngg(-1) and from 10.16 to 411.19ngg(-1), respectively. Meretrix was highly enriched with HCHs, while the highest DDT concentration was found in Crassostrea. For the OCP isomers, β-HCH was the predominant isomer of HCHs, and p,p'-DDE concentration was much higher than other isomers of DDTs. The concentrations of other OCPs (HCB, t-CHL, endrin, and mirex) were relatively low. For the shrimp and crab samples, Alpheus distinguendus samples accumulated a higher level of HCHs but lower DDTs than Oratosquilla aratoria and Carcinoplax vestitus in all sampling areas. HCHs in the samples of contrast area were not significantly lower than that of the sewage outfall area and port area, whereas DDTs in the samples of contrast area were relatively lower than that of the other two areas. Generally, all the OCP contents in the samples are in the range of the edible hygienic criteria except the total concentration of DDTs in Crassostrea.

National-scale monitoring of historic used organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and current used pesticides (CUPs) in Chinese surface soil: Old topic and new story.

Seasonal variations of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in air samples during day and night periods in Bursa, Turkey

Organochlorine pesticides in air and soil and estimated air–soil exchange in Punjab, Pakistan

Residues of Organochlorine Pesticides (OCPs) in Agricultural Soils of Zhangzhou City, China