Search

In this paper, it is analyzed the temporal variation of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in water and sediments from a river influenced by the activity in an agricultural field in a tropical country during the period 2013-2016. The novelty consists of increasing the studies of concentrations of OCPs in water and sediments of rivers for contributing to establish thresholds of concentrations that allow to protect the biota in soils and waters. The mean values of the OCPs dissolved in water and sorbed on sediments varied as follows: p.p'-DDT (0.001 -- 0.022 µg.L-1), (0.1 -- 8.24 µg.kg-1), o.p'-DDT (0.001-0.021 µg.L-1), (0.51 -- 5.76 µg.kg-1), p.p'-DDD (0.001-0.01 µg.L-1), (0.14 -- 1.96 µg.kg-1), p.p'-DDE (0.001-0.027 µg.L-1), (0.52 -- 7.32 µg.kg-1), o.p'-DDE (0.001-0.041 µg.L-1), (0.2 -- 5.52 µg.kg-1), Aldrin (0.004-0.053 µg.L-1), (0.23 -- 8.22 µg.kg-1), Dieldrin (0.001-0.032 µg.L-1), (1.13 -- 6.82 µg.kg-1) and Endrin (0.001-0.008 µg.L-1), (1.16 -- 7.60 µg.kg-1). The management of OCPs by the activity in the agricultural field is being controlled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aldrin, endrin and dieldrin are highly toxic and persistent cyclodienetype organochlorine pesticides. Although these compounds have been banned over the last few decades in many countries, they can still be found in the environment, especially in the agricultural soil. In order to determine the residue levels of cyclodiene-type organochlorine pesticides in soils of Vojvodina Province, and to obtain detailed information on their spatial distribution, 1370 soil samples under different land uses were collected from Vojvodina Province and analyzed for the presence of aldrin, dieldrin and endrin. The residues of those pesticides were detected in the soils of Vojvodina in measurable concentrations and dieldrin was the most dominant compound in the soil. However, the concentrations of analysed cyclodiene-type organochlorine pesticides in the most soil samples from Vojvodina province were lower than Dutch target values for soil quality. Soil organic matter and clay content were found to be positively associated with aldrin content while clay content was found to be negatively associated with endrin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface soil contamination is a worldwide problem. Many regulatory jurisdictions attempt to control human exposures with regulatory guidance values (RGVs) that specify a soil's maximum allowable concentration. Pesticides are important soil contaminants because of their intentional toxicity and widespread surface soil application. Worldwide, at least 174 regulatory jurisdictions from 54 United Nations member states have published more than 19,400 pesticide RGVs for at least 739 chemically unique pesticides. This manuscript examines the variability of the guidance values that are applied worldwide to the original 2001 Stockholm Convention persistent organic pollutants (POP) pesticides (Aldrin, Chlordane, DDT, Dieldrin, Endrin, Heptachlor, Mirex, and Toxaphene) for which at least 1667 RGVs have been promulgated. Results indicate that the spans of the RGVs applied to each of these pesticides vary from 6.1 orders of magnitude for Toxaphene to 10.0 orders of magnitude for Mirex. The distribution of values across these value spans resembles the distribution of lognormal random variables, but also contain non-random value clusters. Approximately 40% of all the POP RGVs fall within uncertainty bounds computed from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) RGV cancer risk model. Another 22% of the values fall within uncertainty bounds computed from the USEPA's non-cancer risk model, but the cancer risk calculations yield the binding (lowest) value for all POP pesticides except Endrin. The results presented emphasize the continued need to rationalize the RGVs applied worldwide to important soil contaminants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), (α - BHC, β - BHC, γ - BHC, Heptachlor, Aldrin, Chlordane, p, p' - DDE, o, p' - DDD, p, p' - DDD, Dieldrin, Endrin, Endosulfan and p, p' - DDT) were determined in water and fish samples from the fish pond of Oke-Osun Farm Settlement, Osogbo, Nigeria that receive runoffs from agricultural lands. The aim of the study was to investigate the pollution status of the pond water and fish samples. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the OCPs after clean-up on silica gel adsorbent were carried out using Gas Chromatography equipped with Electron Capture Detector (GC-ECD). The results showed higher levels of OCPs in the pond water during the rainy season than during the dry season. Higher levels of OCPs were found in the fish samples in the dry season than during the rainy season. Significant positive correlations at p ≤ 0.05 level were observed for β - BHC and aldrin, chlordane, p, p' - DDE, dieldrin and endrin; γ - BHC and heptachlor, p, p' - DDE, dieldrin and endrin; heptachlor and p, p' - DDD, dieldrin and endrin; heptachlor and p, p' - DDD, dieldrin and endrin; p, p' - DDE and dieldrin and endrin; and dieldrin and endrin. The mean seasonal levels of OCPs in the fish were higher, in most cases, than the recommended WHO Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) in food items and should give cause for concern. Due to possible toxicity and bioaccumulation tendency of the OCPs by the predators higher in the food chain, the levels of OCPs detected in the fish samples could be a source of future health problems. The OCPs detected are consistent with the agricultural activities of the study area due to pesticide usage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dieldrin and endrin are persistent organic pollutants that cause serious environmental problems. Although these compounds have been prohibited over the past decades in most countries around the world, they are still routinely found in the environment, especially in the soil in agricultural fields. Bioremediation, including phytoremediation and rhizoremediation, is expected to be a useful cleanup method for this soil contamination. This review provides an overview of the environmental contamination by dieldrin and endrin, along with a summary of our current understanding and recent advances in bioremediation and phytoremediation of these pollutants. In particular, this review focuses on the types and abilities of plants and microorganisms available for accumulating and degrading dieldrin and endrin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The level of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and persistent organochlorinated pesticides (OC) in home-produced eggs was investigated in Belgium. The concentration of dichlorodiphenytrichloroethane (DDT) is above the norm for 17% of the eggs collected during the spring on 58 different locations. For PCB, aldrin, dieldrin, and chlordane, 3–5% of the samples are above the norm too. These levels are surprisingly high for compounds banned for about 30 years. Higher concentrations in home-produced eggs are expected compared to battery eggs because of contact with the environment and especially the soil. For ten selected locations, the concentration in soils, excreta and feed was measured, but no simple correlation between egg and feed or soil level could be established. Hexachlorohexane, endosulfan, endrin, methoxychlor and nitrofen were not detected in any sample. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This work describes the potential applicability of chemically and thermally treated date stones for removing drin pesticides (aldrin, dieldrin and endrin) from aqueous solutions. The effect of several parameters, such as sorbent particle size, adsorbent dose, shaking speed, shaking time, concentration of pesticide solution and temperature, was evaluated by batch experiments. Pesticide determination was carried out using stir bar sorptive extraction and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectroscopy. Maximum removal efficiency (93%) was reached using 0.1g of acid-treated date stones (ATDS) (63–100μm) and 100 mL of aldrin (0.5mgL−1). The removal efficiency of drin pesticides decreased in the order of aldrin, dieldrin and endrin, and decreased as the temperature rose. Adsorption data were processed according to various kinetic models. Lagergren and Morris-Weber equations were applied to fit the kinetic results. The second order model was the most suitable on the whole, and intra-particle diffusion was found to be the rate-controlling the adsorption process. According to adsorption kinetic data, 3.5h were considered as the equilibrium time for determining adsorption isotherms. Adsorption data were analyzed by the Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin–Radushkevich adsorption approaches. Experimental results showed that the Freundlich isotherm model best described the adsorption process. In addition, thermodynamic parameters such as ΔH, ΔS and ΔG were calculated. Negative values of ΔH and ΔG indicate the exothermic and spontaneous nature of pesticide adsorption on ATDS. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This report describes the selective isolation of dieldrin- and endrin-degrading bacteria from soil with high degradation activity toward dieldrin and endrin. Several enrichment cultures from the soil were arranged with several structural analogs of dieldrin and endrin as a growth substrate and examined for their degradation activities toward dieldrin and endrin. An enrichment culture with 1,2-epoxycyclohexane (ECH) was found to aerobically degrade dieldrin and endrin. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) indicated that three types of bacteria were predominant in the ECH enrichment culture. Of the three major bacteria, two isolates, Burkholderia sp. strain MED-7 and Cupriavidus sp. strain MED-5, showed high degradation activity toward dieldrin and endrin. The degradation efficiencies of strain MED-7 and MED-5 were 49% and 38% toward dieldrin, respectively, and 51% and 40% toward endrin, respectively, in the presence of ECH for 14 days. These results indicated that ECH was a useful substrate for selective and efficient isolation of dieldrin- and endrin-degrading bacteria from soil containing numerous bacteria. Interestingly, the two isolates could also degrade dieldrin and endrin even in the absence of ECH. These are the first microorganisms demonstrated to grow on dieldrin and endrin as the sole carbon and energy source under aerobic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organohalogen compounds, the pesticides aldrin, dieldrin, endrin, hexachlorobenzene, mirex, Σchlordanes, ΣDDTs, Σheptachlors, Σtoxaphenes, and the industrial chemicals ΣPCBs and ΣPBDEs, as well as total dioxin-like equivalents (TEQH4IIE-luc), were measured in eggs of two Ardeid species, the little egret (Egretta garzetta) and black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) from three port cities along the South China coast: Hong Kong, Xiamen, and Quanzhou. ΣDDTs was the predominant and most abundant residue, occurring at concentrations ranging from 2.7 x 10³ to 8.7 x 104 ng/g lipid wt. The greatest concentrations of the studied compounds were observed in eggs collected from Hong Kong, with the exception of ΣDDTs, which occurred at the greatest concentrations in eggs from Quanzhou Bay and Xiamen Harbor. Concentrations of ΣPBDEs were greater in eggs from Quanzhou Bay and Xiamen Harbor, possibly because of rapid industrialization in these areas. Total concentrations of dioxin-like PCB toxic equivalents (TEQs), measured as the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)-mediated responses of the H4IIE-luc bioassay (TEO.H4IIE-luc), were greatest in Hong Kong samples. A risk assessment of the relatively great concentrations of ΣDDEs and dioxin-like (coplanar) PCBs in the eggs (threshold levels: 2.8 μg/g wet wL and 5 pg/g wet wt., respectively) predicted that concentrations of these compounds would be expected to affect some proportion of the Ardeid populations studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on a study that aims to identify the level of organochlorine pesticides in freshwater fish from the Zagreb area in Croatia. It states that 215 freshwater fish samples were included in the study. It mentions that the gas chromatograph with electron capture detection (GC-ECD) method was employed in determining the pesticides.

Abstract: Organochlorine pesticides are a lipophilic class of chemicals that persist in the environment and tend to accumulate in human tissues for years. They came into widespread use in the late 1940s. Because of their capacity to bioaccumulate and biomagnify in food chains and their toxic effects, most of them were banned in industrialized countries, among them Spain, in the late 1970s and 1980s. In 1998 organochlorine pesticides were determined in a representative sample of a Spanish population (around 690 serum samples from people 6 to 75years old from the Canary Islands). Serum levels of lindane aldrin, dieldrin and endrin, were determined. Our results showed that a high percentage of samples presented detectable levels of some of the organochlorines measured, endrin being the most frequently detected (72%) and at highest concentration (mean 136.7ng/g fat). Mean concentrations of the main cyclodiene evaluated, dieldrin, was lower to those found in other Western populations. However, serum levels of lindane were higher than those described in North European populations. Influence of geographical and sociodemographic factors was evaluated. Urban populations showed the highest levels of dieldrin, while non-urban population showed the highest serum values of lindane, aldrin and endrin. Unexpectedly, serum values of lindane, aldrin and dieldrin were higher in younger than in older people. Subjects under 18years showed almost twice as high serum levels of lindane, aldrin and dieldrin than subjects of 65–75years. These results may well suggest that people living in the Canary Islands have been and are currently exposed to non-DDT-organochlorine pesticides. The type and source of exposure could vary between islands and type of habitat. Contaminated food and/or the environment could be related with this situation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A novel triolein-embedded adsorbent for removal of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from water was developed. In this paper, taking dieldrin and endrin as the target pollutants, different factors (temperature, ion strength, pH, and concentration of humic acid) that affect the adsorption rate were investigated. Adsorption isotherms of these two pollutants fitted to Freundlich model well identified the partition mechanism between the adsorbent and water. However, the equilibrium constant of dieldrin was larger than that of endrin due to larger octanol-water coefficient of dieldrin. Adsorption rate of dieldrin increased with the increase of temperature, the decrease of ion strength, pH and concentration of humic acid, whereas adsorption rate of endrin decreased with the increase of temperature and pH. Humic acid firstly increased, and then decreased the adsorption rate of endrin. Ion strength hardly affected the adsorption rate of endrin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Bottom sediment samples from 121 sites of the Lake Albufera of Valencia were analyzed. Dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor and op′-DDT were not detected (<0.01ngg−1) in 88–93% of the sites. Aldrin and HCB concentration ranges were between <0.01 and 0.1ngg−1 in 86% and 94% of the sites, respectively. Heptachlor-epoxide and lindane 95% confidence intervals were 0.2–0.5 and 0.06–0.12, respectively. The greatest average concentration corresponds to pp′-DDE, pp′-DDD and pp′-DDT. The sum of six isomers and derivatives of the DDT average concentration reaches 2.1ngg−1, as opposed to 2.7ngg−1 for the sum of 13 pesticides considered. In the site with a major contamination, 27.0ngg−1 of pp′-DDD and 12.8ngg−1 of pp′-DDT were accumulated. The DDE:DDT proportion average was 0.37, indicating an aged DDT contamination. Concentrations of pesticides in sediments were compared to three sediment quality guidelines, and indicated that a low biological effects level can be expected in either sediments or aquatic organisms. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) is applied to study the photochemical degradation of five priority pesticides: atrazine, alachlor, aldrin, dieldrin, endrin. Analyses were carried out by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The possibility of studying the photochemical degradation of the target compounds in solid-phase microextraction fibers, “photo-SPME”, is evaluated employing different SPME coatings. The target analytes were extracted from aqueous solutions using different commercial coatings and then, the fibers were exposed to UV light. Results indicated that on-fiber photodegradation takes place in a considerably major extent using PDMS coating for an irradiation time of 30min. On-fiber photodegradation kinetics of each analyte were determined by UV irradiation of the PDMS for different times. A large number of photoproducts were generated and they were tentatively identified by means of their mass spectra and with the aid of literature. In this way, main photodegradation mechanisms could be postulated. Aqueous photodegradation studies followed by SPME were performed and compared with photo-SPME. All the photoproducts detected in the aqueous experiments were previously found in the photo-SPME experiments. This study shows the potential of photo-SPME to evaluate the photo-transformation of organic pollutants. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Cyclodiene insecticides release labeled neurotransmitter in striatal and cortical synaptosome preparations under nondepolarizing conditions, typically showing half-maximal potencies for release in the low micromolar range. This level of potency is similar to those reported for inhibition of 36Cl− influx at the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)A receptor, their consensus target site. A wide variety of other GABAA antagonists, including picrotoxinin and bicuculline, did not cause significant dopamine release, which obviated direct involvement of the GABAA receptor as a possible site of action. Release assays with different transmitters indicated that striatal dopaminergic terminals are severalfold more sensitive to release than other neurotransmitter types. The selective sensitivity of nigrostriatal dopaminergic nerve terminals to insecticidal organochlorines provides biochemical evidence supporting an epidemiological linkage between exposure to environmental toxicants and Parkinsonism. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A high performance liquid chromatographic method for the simultaneous determination of five organochlorine pesticides (aldrin, p,p’-DDT, dieldrin, endrin, and heptachlor) was developed. The method was used to determine the levels of these pesticides in medicinal plant samples. Analysis was carried out using a Merck LiChrospher 100 RP C18 (5 μm) column with a gradient solvent system of acetonitrile-water and PDA UV detection (224 nm). Quantification was carried out by the external standard method. The limit of detection for the utilized method was below the local legal limits (ANZFA) for similar plant materials for all 5 pesticides excepting endrin. Medicinal plant extracts were further analyzed by conventional GC-ECD and GC-NPD means using SPE and GPC cleanup as required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]