Organochlorine pesticide residues in surface water and groundwater along Pampanga River, Philippines

Organochlorine, organophosphorus, and carbamate pesticide residues in an Ethiopian Rift Valley Lake Hawassa: occurrences and possible ecological risks

Currently, pesticide production and use are on the rise globally. This trend is certain to continue in the coming decades with residues posing risks to the environment and human health even at low levels. Although various aspects of pesticides and their possible implications have widely been studied, such studies have mostly been carried out in developed countries leaving the rest of the world with little scientific information. We present here the results of a study on the occurrences, concentrations, and ecological risks of 30 pesticide residues (PRs) in water and sediment samples from a tropical freshwater Lake Hawassa in the Ethiopian Rift Valley. A total of 54 composite samples of water and sediment were collected from three sampling sites on three occasions. The samples were prepared by quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) technique, and analyzed using GC-MS at Bless Agri Food Laboratory Service located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The study applied the risk quotient (RQ) method to scrutinize the risks posed to aquatic biota by the detected PRs. The results showed occurrences of 18 and 20 PRs in the water and sediment samples, respectively. The majority, 78 and 75% of the detected PRs in water and sediment samples, respectively represent the organochlorine chemical class. Concentrations of heptachlor epoxide were significantly (p ≤ 0.001) higher than those of the remaining pesticides in both matrices. Of the pesticides detected, 77% were present in water and 83% in sediment samples and pose a serious risk (RQ ≥ 1) to the Lake Hawassa biota. This calls for further research to investigate the risks to human health posed by the PRs. The findings of this study can contribute to the development of global protocols, as they support the concerns raised about the ecological and public health impacts of PRs on a global level.

Bioaccumulation of pesticide residue in earthworms collected from the agricultural soils of Kuttanad-a unique agroecosystem in India

Earthworms encompass significant soil faunal biomass and have tremendous potential to provide vital ecosystem services. Earthworms are considered bioindicators of chemical contaminants and can provide early warnings of ecosystem deterioration. Studies pertaining to the accumulation of pesticide residues in earthworm in biomass in agrarian ecosystems are scarce. The Kuttanad agroecosystem (KAE), situated on the southwest coast of India, is one of the few regions globally supporting farming on land below the mean sea level. This investigation was conducted to assess the bioaccumulation of pesticide residues in earthworms from the KAE. The earthworms species Glyphidrilus annandalei collected from agricultural soils of the study area were analyzed for the presence of pesticides residues such as α-BHC, γ-BHC, atrazine, heptachlor, α-chlordane, γ-chlordane, 4,4-DDE, 4,4-DDD, 4,4-DDT, β-endosulfan, and endrin ketone in their biomass. Analysis of the earthworm samples using a gas chromatograph revealed the presence of ten pesticide residues with notable concentrations (α-BHC, 0.36 ng/g; γ-BHC, 0.41 ng/g; heptachlor, 0.10 ng/g; atrazine, 0.89 ng/g; α-chlordane, 0.07 ng/g; γ-chlordane, 0.10 ng/g; 4,4-DDE, 0.05 ng/g; 4,4-DDD, 0.11 ng/g; 4,4-DDT, 0.31 ng/g; β-endosulfan, 0.19 ng/g; and endrin ketone, 0.13 ng/g). Six groups of pesticide residues are ΣBHC, ΣDDT, atrazine, Σchlordane, endrin ketone, and β-endosulfan were observed during bioaccumulation factor analysis, and the results show the following trend: atrazine > ΣBHC > ΣDDT > Σchlordane > Σendosulfan > Σendrin. As earthworms are a crucial component of this region's food chains, bioaccumulation of pesticide residues in earthworms can pause adverse consequences. Increasing trends in pesticide application in the KAE and bioaccumulation of pesticide residues in earthworm biomass can affect the entire food web.

Chlorination disinfection by-products in Southeast Asia: A review on potential precursor, formation, toxicity assessment, and removal technologies

This review discusses disinfection by-products' (DBPs) potential precursors, formation, and toxicity, alongside available research on the treatment of DBPs in Southeast Asian countries' water sources. Although natural organic matter (NOM) in the form of humic and fulvic acids is the major precursor of DBPs formation, the presence of anthropogenic organic matter (AOM) also plays essential roles during disinfection using chlorine. NOM has been observed in water sources in Southeast Asian countries, with a relatively high concentration in peat-influenced water sources and a relatively low concentration in non-peat-influenced water sources. Similarly, AOMs, such as microplastics, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), have also been detected in water sources in Southeast Asian countries. Although studies regarding DBPs in Southeast Asian countries are available, they focus on regulated DBPs. Here, the formation potential of unregulated DBPs is also discussed. In addition, the toxicity associated with extreme DBPs' formation potential, as well as the effectiveness of treatments such as conventional coagulation, filtration, adsorption, and ozonation in reducing DBPs' formation potential in Southeast Asian sources of water, is also analyzed.

Risk assessment of persistent pesticide pollution: Development of an indicator integrating site-specific characteristics

Detection of high pesticide concentrations in sediments and water often leads to prioritizing a site as being 'at risk'. However, the risk does not depend on pesticide concentration alone, but on other site-specific characteristics also. We developed an indicator that identifies the 'Level of Concern' by integrating five such characteristics: (i) pesticide concentrations in surface and groundwater causing risks to ecological health (ii) impacts on human health, (iii) water scarcity, (iv) agricultural production, and (v) biodiversity richness. We applied this framework in an agricultural region of the Lower Ganges Basin in West Bengal, India. We measured concentrations of selected organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in surface and groundwater within an 8 km² area in 2019. Of 20 banned and restricted OCPs, 11 were detected as causing high risk to ecological health and 10 at concentrations above the Accepted Carcinogenic Risk Limit (ACRL) for humans. In the pre-monsoon, the mean concentrations of ΣOCPs in groundwater and surface water were 126.9 ng/L and 104 ng/L, in the monsoon they were 144.7 ng/L and 138 ng/L, and in the post-monsoon 122.1 ng/L and 147 ng/L respectively. In groundwater, no significant seasonal difference was observed in most pesticides. In the surface water, 7 pesticides were significantly higher in the monsoon and post-monsoon, which may be attributed to increased runoff as well as post monsoon application of OCPs. In September 2022 we again measured OCP concentrations in surface water and sediment. The mean concentration of 14 of the 20 measured OCPs were found to be significantly lower in the post-pandemic period compared to the pre-pandemic time. These lower pesticide concentrations may indicate a reduced use of OCPs in agricultural practices during the pandemic. This area was identified as being at the highest Level of Concern, even though the OCP concentrations alone conformed to general guidelines.

Xeno-Estrogenic Pesticides and the Risk of Related Human Cancers

In recent decades, "environmental xenobiotic-mediated endocrine disruption", especially by xeno-estrogens, has gained a lot of interest from toxicologists and environmental researchers. These estrogen-mimicking chemicals are known to cause various human disorders. Pesticides are the most heavily used harmful xenobiotic chemicals around the world. The estrogen-mimicking potential of the most widely used organochlorine pesticides is well established. However, their effect is not as clearly understood among the plethora of effects these persistent xenobiotics are known to pose on our physiological system. Estrogens are one of the principal risk modifiers of various disorders, including cancer, not only in women but in men as well. Despite the ban on these xenobiotics in some parts of the world, humans are still at apparent risk of exposure to these harmful chemicals as they are still widely persistent and likely to stay in our environment for a long time owing to their high chemical stability. The present work intends to understand how these harmful chemicals may affect the risk of the development of estrogen-mediated human cancer.

Legacy and new chlorinated persistent organic pollutants in the rivers of south India: Occurrences, sources, variations before and after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic

During pre-pandemic time, organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were investigated in the surface water of Periyar River (PR) and Bharathappuzha River (BR) in Ernakulam and Malappuram districts of Kerala, respectively and Adyar River (AR) and Cooum River (CR) in Chennai district of Tamil Nadu. After the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, variation in OCPs and PCBs were evaluated for AR and CR. Dominance of β-HCH and γ-HCH in south Indian rivers indicate historical use of technical HCH and ongoing use of Lindane, respectively. In > 90 % sites, p,p'-DDT/ p,p'-DDE ratio was < 1, indicating past DDT usage. However during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, elevated p,p'-DDT in AR and CR reflects localized use of DDT possibly for vector control. Similarly, during the first wave of pandemic, over a 100-fold increase in PCB-52 in these rivers of Chennai mostly via surface run-off and atmospheric deposition can be reasoned with open burning of dumped waste including added waste plastic in the solid waste stream. On contrary, a significant (p < 0.05) decline of dioxin-like PCBs level, suggests lesser combustion related activities by the formal and informal industrial sectors after the lockdown phase in Tamil Nadu. Eco-toxicological risk assessment indicated a higher risk for edible fish in PR due to endosulfan.

Spatiotemporal evaluation of organochlorine pesticide residues in bottom sediments of the Rio de Ondas hydrographic basin, western Bahia, Brazil

The Rio de Ondas Hydrographic Basin (ROHB), Bahia state, Brazil, is located in a region with abundant water resources and is highly impacted by intense agricultural activity. In such a scenario, the use of organochlorine pesticides can represent a potential risk to the aquatic environments, due to their persistence, high bioaccumulation capacity, and high toxicity. Thus, organochlorine pesticide residues in bottom sediment samples from rivers on eighteen sites distributed along the ROHB in the dry and rainy periods were analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. The validated method showed no matrix effect, recoveries ranging from 82% (β-HCB) to 118% (DDD), limits of detection between 0.003 ng g^-1 (α-HCH) and 0.011 ng g^-1 (DDT), limits of quantification of 0.010 ng g^-1 (α-HCH) to 0.036 ng g^-1 (DDT), repeatability with the highest relative standard deviation of 0.97% (α-hexachlorocyclohexane at 2.000 ng g^-1), and inter-day precision ranging from 10% (aldrin at 0.050 ng g^-1 and 0.600 ng g^-1 and α-endosulfan at 0.600 ng g^-1) to 25% (β-endosulfan at 0.050 ng g^-1). Although most compounds were banned since 1985, it was observed that their residues were widely distributed in the ROHB, with the total concentrations varying from 3.242 ng g^-1 (P02) to 12.052 ng g^-1 (P17) and from 0.313 ng g^-1 (P14) to 30.861 ng g^-1 (P13) in the dry and rainy periods, respectively, which may be related to historical contamination and/or prohibited use. Moreover, the spatiotemporal variation showed the highest concentrations of organochlorine pesticide residues in the rainy season, coinciding with the planting period.

Current perspective on veterinary drug and chemical residues in food of animal origin

The marked increase in the demand for animal protein of high quality necessitates protecting animals from infectious diseases. This requires increasing the use of veterinary therapeutics. The overuse and misuse of veterinary products can cause a risk to human health either as short-term or long-term health problems. However, the biggest problem is the emergence of resistant strains of bacteria or parasites. This is in addition to economic losses due to the discarding of polluted milk or condemnation of affected carcasses. This paper discusses three key points: possible sources of drug and chemical residues, human health problems, and the possible method of control and prevention of veterinary drug residues in animal products.

Toward harmonizing global pesticide regulations for surface freshwaters in support of protecting human health

To promote international collaboration on environmental pollution management and human health protection, we conducted a global-level study on the management of pesticides for surface freshwater quality. Prior to actions being taken in terms of water treatment or remediation, it is essential that clear and definite regulations be disseminated. In our study, 3094 surface freshwater quality standards for 184 different pesticides were recorded from 53 countries and categorized according to pesticide types and standard types, as well as diverse use of freshwater by humans, and compared water quality standards related to human health. Our results indicate large variations in pesticide regulations, standard types (i.e., long- or short-term water quality standards), and related numerical values. With regard to the protection of human health, the 10 most frequently regulated pesticides account for approximately 47% of the total number of standards across 184 considered pesticides. The average occurrence-weighted variations of standard values (i.e., numerical values provided in a standard in terms of residue limits of a given pesticide in water) for the 20 most regulated persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and other phase-out pesticides (i.e., pesticides not currently-approved for use in agriculture across various countries) are 4.1 and 2.6 orders of magnitude, respectively, with human-exposure related standard values for some pesticides varying with over 3 orders of magnitude (e.g., lindane). In addition, variations in water quality standard values occurred across standard types (e.g., maximum and average), water use types (e.g., unspecified waters and human consumption), and standard values (e.g., pesticide individuals and groups). We conclude that regulatory inconsistencies emphasize the need for international collaboration on domestic water treatment, environmental management as well as specific water quality standards for the wider range of current-use pesticides, thereby improving global harmonization in support of protecting human health.

Pesticide residues in drinking water, their potential risk to human health and removal options

The application of pesticides in agricultural and public health sectors has resulted in substantially contaminated water resources with residues in many countries. Almost no reviews have addressed pesticide residues in drinking water globally; calculated hazard indices for adults, children, and infants; or discussed the potential health risk of pesticides to the human population. The objectives of this article were to summarize advances in research related to pesticide residues in drinking water; conduct health risk assessments by estimating the daily intake of pesticide residues consumed only from drinking water by adults, children, and infants; and summarize options for pesticide removal from water systems. Approximately 113 pesticide residues were found in drinking water samples from 31 countries worldwide. There were 61, 31, and 21 insecticide, herbicide, and fungicide residues, respectively. Four residues were in toxicity class IA, 14 residues were in toxicity class IB, 55 residues were in toxicity class II, 17 residues were in toxicity class III, and 23 residues were in toxicity class IV. The calculated hazard indices (HIs) exceeded the value of one in many cases. The lowest HI value (0.0001) for children was found in Canada, and the highest HI value (30.97) was found in Egypt, suggesting a high potential health risk to adults, children, and infants. The application of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) showed efficient removal of many pesticide classes. The combination of adsorption followed by biodegradation was shown to be an effective and efficient purification option. In conclusion, the consumption of water contaminated with pesticide residues may pose risks to human health in exposed populations.

The concentration of persistent organic pollutants in water resources: A global systematic review, meta-analysis and probabilistic risk assessment

The persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are environmentally stable and highly toxic chemicals that accumulate in living adipose tissue and have a very destructive effect on aquatic ecosystems. To analyze the evolution of the concentration and prevalence of POPs such as α-HCH, β-HCH, γ-HCH, ∑-HCH, Heptachlor, Aldrin, p,p'-DDE, p,p'-DDT, ∑-DDT, and ∑-OCP in water resources, a search between January 01, 1970, to February 10, 2020, was followed using a systematic review and meta-analysis prevalence. Among the 2306 explored articles in the reconnaissance step, 311 articles with 5315 exemplars, 56 countries, and 4 types of water were included in the meta-analysis study. Among all studied POPs, the concentration of p,p'-DDT in water resources was the highest, especially in drinking water resources. The overall rank order based on the concentration and prevalence of POPs were surface water > drinking water > seawater > groundwater. To identify POPs-contaminated areas, the distance from the mean relative to their distribution was considered. The most to the least polluted areas included: South Africa, India, Turkey, Pakistan, Canada, Hong Kong, and China. The highest carcinogenic risk was observed for β-HCH (Turkey and China), followed by α-HCH (Mexico). The highest non-carcinogenic risk was identified for Aldrin (all analyzed countries), followed by Dieldrin (Turkey) and γ-HCH (Mexico). The Monte Carlo analysis (under the assumption that γ-HCH has a normal distribution), the mean obtained was 8.22E-07 for children and 3.83E-07 for adults. This is in accordance with the standard risk assessment approach. In terms of percentiles, the Monte-Carlo approach indicates that 75% of child population is under the 1.07E-06 risk and 95% of adults under 7.35E-06.

Integrated ecosystem models (soil-water) to analyze pesticide toxicity to aquatic organisms at two different temperature conditions

In order to increase the knowledge about pesticides considering the soil-water interaction, ecosystem models (mesoscosms) were used to analyze the of leachate on the immobility and feeding rate of the cladocerans, Ceriodaphnia silvestrii and D. similis and algae Raphidocelis subcapitata, at two different temperatures. Mesocosm were filled with natural soil (latosolo) that were contaminated with insecticide/acaricide Kraft 36 EC® and fungicide Score 250 EC®, using the recommended concentration for strawberry crops (10.8 g abamectin/ha and 20 g difenoconazole/ha). Pesticides were applied once (hand sprayers) and the precipitation was simulated twice a week (Days 1, 4, 8, 11, 15 and 18). The mesocosm were kept in a room with a controlled temperature (23 and 33 °C) and photoperiod (12h light/12h dark). The Kraft 36 EC® insecticide showed toxicity for both species of cladocerans tested, with effects on immobility and feeding rate, both at 23 and 33 °C. Score 250 EC® showed to be toxic only for the experiments that analyzed the immobility of C. silvestrii at 23 °C and the feeding of D. smilis at 33 °C, demonstrating that the effects are species-specific and related to the temperature at which they are tested. While for species R. subcapitata there was an effect only for mixture treatments of the pesticides analyzed at both temperatures. Thereby, zooplanktonic organisms may be at risk when exposed to this compound even after percolating in a soil column, which could lead to effects on the entire aquatic trophic chain and that temperature can influence the organism response to the contaminant.

Pollutant toxicology with respect to microalgae and cyanobacteria

Microalgae and cyanobacteria are fundamental components of aquatic ecosystems. Pollution in aquatic environment is a worldwide problem. Toxicological research on microalgae and cyanobacteria can help to establish a solid foundation for aquatic ecotoxicological assessments. Algae and cyanobacteria occupy a large proportion of the biomass in aquatic environments; thus, their toxicological responses have been investigated extensively. However, the depth of toxic mechanisms and breadth of toxicological investigations need to be improved. While existing pollutants are being discharged into the environment daily, new ones are also being produced continuously. As a result, the phenomenon of water pollution has become unprecedentedly complex. In this review, we summarize the latest findings on five kinds of aquatic pollutants, namely, metals, nanomaterials, pesticides, pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs), and persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Further, we present information on emerging pollutants such as graphene, microplastics, and ionic liquids. Efforts in studying the toxicological effects of pollutants on microalgae and cyanobacteria must be increased in order to better predict the potential risks posed by these materials to aquatic ecosystems as well as human health.

Transfer assessment of carbendazim residues from rapeseed to oil production determined by HPLC-MS/MS

It is crucial to develop practical procedures for the control and reduction of pesticide residues in oil productions from farm to dining table. In this study, the dissipation behaviors of typical fungicide from rapeseed to oil production were studied to reveal relationship among spraying stage, application dosage, household oil processing stage, and pesticide residues. In the field trials, rape plants were sprayed with carbendazim at three different dosages during flowering period. Transfer assessment of carbendazim residues from rapeseed to oil production during household oil processing via different press techniques was determined using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). The recoveries of carbendazim in rapeseed samples, meals after squeezing samples, and rapeseed oil samples ranged from 82.5% to 93.6% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) ＜5.2%. The validation results illustrated that the methods were reliable and sensitive. The average processing factor (PF) during household oil processing via hot press technique and cold press technique was 0.15 and 0.51, respectively. This study demonstrated that household oil processing could significantly reduce the pesticide residues, especially by hot press technique.

Accumulation characteristics of endosulfan soil residues in soybean and reduction in their phytoavailability by treatment with powdered activated carbon

Powdered activated carbon (PAC) has been utilized for sorptive remediation of environmental sites contaminated with various organic chemicals. In the present study, time-dependent sorption/desorption characteristics of the α- and β-isomers and a sulfate-metabolite of endosulfan (ED) were investigated in PAC-amended soils to determine the optimal PAC amendment dosage. Subsequently, ED phytoavailability to soybean (Glycine max Merr.) plants were examined in the presence or absence of PAC under restricted laboratory conditions. Based on the results of sorption/desorption tests, the optimal dosage of PAC amendment for ED-contaminated soils was determined as 1% (w/w), and at this dosage, all ED residues were sorbed completely onto the PAC-amended soils without any desorption. In soil amended with 1% PAC, the extents of ED accumulated by soybean plants were reduced by 89.4-100.0% within 20 days compared to those extents observed in unamended controls. Moreover, PAC treatment precluded the formation of the toxic metabolite ED-sulfate in either the soil or soybean plants. Therefore, PAC amendment in ED-contaminated soils could be highly effective for limiting uptake of ED into plants from contaminated soil and may be useful as an alternative method to produce safe food resources from contaminated arable soils.

The use of fast molecular descriptors and artificial neural networks approach in organochlorine compounds electron ionization mass spectra classification

Developing of theoretical tools can be very helpful for supporting new pollutant detection. Nowadays, a combination of mass spectrometry and chromatographic techniques are the most basic environmental monitoring methods. In this paper, two organochlorine compound mass spectra classification systems were proposed. The classification models were developed within the framework of artificial neural networks (ANNs) and fast 1D and 2D molecular descriptor calculations. Based on the intensities of two characteristic MS peaks, namely, [M] and [M-35], two classification criterions were proposed. According to criterion I, class 1 comprises [M] signals with the intensity higher than 800 NIST units, while class 2 consists of signals with the intensity lower or equal than 800. According to criterion II, class 1 consists of [M-35] signals with the intensity higher than 100, while signals with the intensity lower or equal than 100 belong to class 2. As a result of ANNs learning stage, five models for both classification criterions were generated. The external model validation showed that all ANNs are characterized by high predicting power; however, criterion I-based ANNs are much more accurate and therefore are more suitable for analytical purposes. In order to obtain another confirmation, selected ANNs were tested against additional dataset comprising popular sunscreen agents disinfection by-products reported in previous works.

Distribution of agricultural pesticides in the freshwater environment of the Guayas river basin (Ecuador)

The rapid increase and transition to more intensive agricultural activities in developing nations are often leading to misuse and overuse of pesticides, making their environment vulnerable for pesticide accumulation. In the present study, the Guayas river basin was taken as a representative case study to evaluate pesticide contamination of the Ecuadorean freshwater environment. Pesticide contamination was determined at 181 sampling sites by a multi-residue method using solid phase extraction (SPE) and pesticide residues were linked with agricultural land use activities to identify the main pollution sources. Moreover, the biological water quality status based on macroinvertebrate communities was determined at every location and the relation with the occurrence of pesticide residues was further investigated. Results showed that pesticide contamination of the freshwater environment was widely present in the Guayas river basin with detections at 108 sampling sites (60%). A total of 26 pesticide products were identified. Most frequently detected pesticides included cadusafos (62 locations), butachlor (21 locations) and pendimethalin (21 locations), with concentrations up to 0.081, 2.006 and 0.557 μg·L^-1 respectively. Pesticide residues detected in this study did not significantly influence the biological water quality (p = 0.69), but were observed to be positively correlated with ammonium concentrations, supporting the assumed combined application of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture. These pesticide residues were also associated with one or more agricultural crops, with in particular the banana and rice industries identified as major pollution sources. Both high consumption rates and non-specific application methods, such as aerial spraying of banana plantations and application directly into the water layer of irrigated rice fields, may attribute to pesticide contamination of the freshwater environment of the Guayas river basin. It is therefore suggested that measures, e.g. legal regulations and awareness campaigns, taken to prevent environmental pollution and accumulation of pesticides primarily focus on these industries.