Residues of organochlorine pesticides and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in farm-raised livestock feeds and manures in Jiangsu, China

Abstract

The residual levels of 8 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and 15 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were determined in pig, chicken, and cow feed and manure samples collected from feedlots in Jiangsu province, China. The mean residuals of OCPs ranged from 25.35 to 65.62ngg−1 in feeds and from 33.46 to 90.89ngg−1 in manures. Among 4 hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), α-HCH was the most abundant compound, with a high occurrence above 80% in all kinds of animal feeds and manures. For dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs), the predominance of p,p′-DDE and p,p′-DDT of total DDTs was also clearly observed. Composite profiles of HCHs and DDTs in feeds indicated that the residuals of lindane and DDTs could be attributed to new inputs in the past several years. The mean residuals of all of the PAHs varied from 128.94 to 389.66ngg−1 in manures. The mean concentrations of seven carcinogenic PAHs in manures varied from 16.80 to 79.70ngg−1. Of the 15 priority PAHs, phenanthrene was the most dominant PAH species and accounted for approximately 50% of the total PAHs in all animal manures. The distribution of PAHs with different rings showed that PAHs with 3 rings were the primary components in the tested manures.