Abstract
Residual levels of 11 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in surface water of Jiuxi Valley were determined during spring and autumn at nine sampling points to assess their contamination and potential risks. The water samples were extracted by solid-phase extraction (SPE), and OCPs were analyzed by gas chromatograph equipped with a 63Ni-ECD detector. The investigation results indicated that the concentration of total OCPs varied from 4.07 to 13.5 ng·L−1 with an average value of 7.15 ng·L−1 in spring, and from 12.5 to 30.1 ng·L−1 with an average value of 19.9 ng·L−1 in autumn. Jiuxi Valley was slightly contaminated by OCPs, and the concentrations of ΣHCHs and ΣDDTs in the river were at relatively low levels. HCHs were the main pollutant in spring, and also in autumn, and α-HCH was the main component of the HCH isomers at most sampling points. Source analysis indicated that local use of lindane or input of fresh γ-HCH contributed to the presence of HCHs. New inputs were the major sources of DDTs, aldrin, heptachlor, and endrin. The OCP levels of this investigation were within the standard limits set by a majority of the water quality standards and guidelines of China, WHO, European Union, and Canada. However, although the γ-HCH concentrations at all sampling sites, endrin concentrations at all sampling sites, and β-HCH concentrations at most sampling sites were below the human health water quality standard, and the levels of other tested OCPs (α-HCH, p,p′-DDD, p,p′-DDE, p,p′-DDT, aldrin, and heptachlor) exceeded the value of EPA-recommended water quality criteria for human health, which indicated potential risks to human health around the region.
Highlights
As common persistent organic pollutants (POPs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) have received great attention worldwide due to their high toxicity, chemical durability, and biological concentration [1]. ese chemicals were once widely used in agricultural production and pest control universally
The c-HCH at all sampling sites, endrin concentrations at all sampling sites, and β-HCH concentrations at most sampling sites were below the human health water quality standard, and the levels of other tested OCPs (α-HCH, p,p′-DDD, p,p′-DDE, p,p′-DDT, aldrin, and heptachlor) exceeded the value of EPA recommended water quality criteria for human health
The contamination profiles of 11 OCPs in surface water of Jiuxi Valley were determined. e results showed Jiuxi Valley was slightly contaminated by OCPs, and the level of total OCPs in autumn was higher than that in spring
Summary
As common persistent organic pollutants (POPs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) have received great attention worldwide due to their high toxicity, chemical durability, and biological concentration [1]. ese chemicals were once widely used in agricultural production and pest control universally. As common persistent organic pollutants (POPs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) have received great attention worldwide due to their high toxicity, chemical durability, and biological concentration [1]. Ese chemicals were once widely used in agricultural production and pest control universally. Researchers had found OCPs caused great threats to ecosystems and human health [2, 3]. Despite the prohibition of production and use of these pesticides by many countries in the 1970s and 1980s, some OCPs, including hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs), aldrin, heptachlor, and endrin, were still widely distributed everywhere because of their persistence. Even though production and use of OCPs had been forbidden since 1983, the comparatively high concentrations of residue OCPs were still detected in water and other environmental media
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