Soil & Water Res., 2011, 6(4):190-197 | DOI: 10.17221/21/2011-SWR

Persistent organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in intensive agricultural soils from North IndiaOriginal Paper

Bhupander KUMAR, Sanjay KUMAR, Richa GAUR, Gargi GOEL, Meenu MISHRA, Satish Kumar SINGH, Dev PRAKASH, Chandra Sekhar SHARMA
National Reference Trace Organics Laboratory, Central Pollution Control Board, East Arjun Nagar, Delhi-110032, India

Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were determined in agricultural soils from the northern states of India. The average concentration of OCPs was 37.67 ± 0.33 ng/g (dry weight - DW) while HCHs alone accounted for 93% followed by DDT (4.27%) and endosulphan (2.51%). The α/γ ratio of HCH (< 0.01-8.64) reflects the use of technical as well as lindane formulations. The ratio of p,p'-DDT/p,p'-DDE (0.16) and o,p'-DDT/p,p'-DDT (< 0.01) indicates the contamination of soils with the past use of technical DDT. The mean concentrations of endosulphan and dieldrin were 0.95 ± 0.53 ng/g (DW)and 0.16 ± 0.07 ng/g (DW), respectively. The average concentration of PCBs was 13.44 ± 0.06 ng/g (DW). The toxic equivalency (TEQ) calculated using WHO 2005-TEFs ranged from 0.01 to 105.40 pg WHO 2005-TEQ/g (DW) with the mean of 13.78 ± 0.11 pg WHO 2005-TEQ/g (DW). PCB-105 (25%), PCB-114 (18%), and PCB-118 (18%) were the dominant congeners and accounted for 61% while a non ortho PCBs contributed only 18% to total DL-PCBs. The contamination of soils is a matter of concern but is not alarming because the observed levels were lower than those given by the Canadian soil quality guidelines.

Keywords: accelerated solvent extraction (ASE); agricultural soil; organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)

Published: December 31, 2011  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
KUMAR B, KUMAR S, GAUR R, GOEL G, MISHRA M, SINGH SK, et al.. Persistent organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in intensive agricultural soils from North India. Soil & Water Res. 2011;6(4):190-197. doi: 10.17221/21/2011-SWR.
Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    References

    1. Aichner B., Glaser B., Zech W. (2007): Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls in urban soils from Kathmandu, Nepal. Organic Geochemistry, 38: 700-715. Go to original source...
    2. Al-Wabel M.I., El-Saeid M.H., Al-Turki A.M., Abdel-Nasser G. (2011): Minitoring of pesticide residues in Saudi Arabia agricultural soils. Research Journal of Environmental Science, 5: 269-278. Go to original source...
    3. Beyers R.A., Woodham D.W., Bowman M.C.G. (1965): Residues on coastal Bermuda grass, trash and soil treated with endosulphan. Journal of Economical Entomology, 58: 160-161. Go to original source...
    4. CCME (1999): Canadian Soil Quality Guidelines for the Protection of Environmental and Human Health, Polychlorinated Biphenyls (Total). Canadian Council of Ministers for the Environment, Health branch, Ottawa.
    5. Chakraborty P., Zhang G., Li J., Xu Y., Liu X., Tanabe S., Jones K.C. (2010): Selected organochlorine pesticides in the atmosphere of major Indian cities: levels, regional versus local variations, and sources. Environmental Science and Technology, 44: 8038-8043. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    6. Claudine N., Quinin L. P., Rialet P., Jordaan I., Visser M., Kylin H., Borgen A.R., Giesy J.P., Bouman H. (2009): Dioxin-like chemicals in soil and sediment from residential and industrial areas in central South Africa. Chemosphere, 76: 774-783. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    7. Covaci A., Gheorghe A., Voorspoels S., Maervoet J., Steen Redeker E., Blust R., Schepens P. (2005): Polybrominated diphenyl ethers, polychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine pesticides in sediment cores from the Western Scheldt River (Belgium): analytical aspects and depth profiles. Environment International, 31: 367-375. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    8. Dragan D., Cucu-Man S., Dirtu A.C., Mocanu R., Van Vaeck L., Cocaci A. (2006): Occurrence of organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in soils and sediments from Eastern Romania. International Journal of Environmental Analytical Chemistry, 86: 833-842. Go to original source...
    9. Dyke P.H., Foan C., Fiedler H. (2003): PCB and PAH release from power stations and waste incineration processes in the UK. Chemosphere, 50: 469-480. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    10. Gan D.R., Berthouex P.M. (1994): Disappearance and crop uptake of PCBs from sludge-amended farmland. Water & Environmental Research, 66: 54-69. Go to original source...
    11. Hao L., Senthil Kumar K., Sajwan K.S., Li P., Peck A., Gilligan M., Pride C. (2009): Accumulation of polychlorinated biphenyls in fish collected from St. Simon's estuary, Brunswick, Georgia, USA. Organohalogen Compounds, 71: 170-173.
    12. Halsall C.J., Bailey R., Stern G.A., Barrie L.A., Fellin P., Miur D.C.G., Rosenberg B., Rivinsky F.Y., Kononov E.Y., Pastukhov B. (1998): Multi-year observations of organohalogen pesticides in the Arctic atmosphere. Environmental Pollution, 102: 52-62. Go to original source...
    13. Hoai P.M., Ngoc N.T., Minh N.H., Virt P.H., Berg M., Alder A.C., Giger W. (2010): Recent levels of organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in sediments of the sewer system in Hanoi, Vietnam. Environmental Pollution, 158: 913-920. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    14. Hussen A., Westborn R., Megersa N., Mathiasson L., Bjorklund E. (2007): Selective pressurized liquid extraction for multi-residue analysis of organochlorine pesticides in soil. Journal of Chromatography A, 1152: 247-253. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    15. IPEN (2006): Establishing the prevalence of POPs pesticide residues in water, soil and vegetable samples and creating awareness about their ill-effects. Available at http://www.ipen.org.
    16. Iwata H., Tanabe S., Sakai N., Nishimura A., Tatsukawa R. (1994): Geographical distribution of persistent organochlorine in air, water and sediments from Asia and Oceania, and their implication for global distribution from lower latitudes. Environmental Pollution, 85: 15-33. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    17. Kishida M., Imamura K., Maeda Y., Lan T.T.N., Thao N.T.P., Viet P.H. (2007): Distribution of persistent organic pollutants and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sediment samples from Vietnam. Journal of Health Science, 53: 291-301. Go to original source...
    18. Kumar B., Kumar S., Mishra M., Singh S.K., Sharma C.S., Makhijani S. D., Sengupta B., Sajwan K.S., Senthilkumar K. (2008): Distribution of pesticides, herbicides, synthetic pyrethroids and polychlorinated biphenyls in sediments from drains of Delhi, India. Organohalogen Compounds, 70:1120-1123.
    19. Kumari B., Madan V.K., Kathpal T.S. (2008): Status of insecticide contamination of soil and water in Haryana, India. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 136: 239-244. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    20. Liu J., Zhu T., Wang F., Qiu X.H., Lin W.L. (2006): Observation of organochlorine pesticides in the air of the Mt. Everest region. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 63: 33-41. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    21. Liu J., Cui Z.J., Xu H.Y., Tan F.X. (2009): Dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls contamination and distribution in soils from the Modern Yellow river delta, China. Soil and Sediment Contamination, 18: 144-154. Go to original source...
    22. Nandita B., Vidyasaga K., Loganathan B.G. (2009): Congener specifis analysis and toxic evaluation of PCB congeners in sediment and fish samples from lower Tennessee river, Kentucky, USA. Organohalogen Compounds, 71: 615-619.
    23. Om Prakash, Suar M., Raina V., Dogra C., Pal R., Lal R. (2004): Residues of hexachlorocyclohexane isomers in soil and water samples from Delhi and adjoining areas. Current Science, 87: 73-77.
    24. Pandelova M., Henkelmann B., Roots O., Simm M., Jarv L., Benfenati E., Schramm K.W. (2008): Levels of PCDD/F and dioxin-like PCB in Baltic fish of different age and gender. Chemosphere, 71: 369-378. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    25. Papiya Sarkar (2004): POPs in South Asia: Status and environmental health impacts. Available at +91- 01124328006 or at papiya@toxicslink.org.
    26. Rogelio C.S., Antonio T.A., Diana R.A., Octavio G.R., Fernando D.B., Iván P.M. (2011): Assessment of polychlorinated biphenyls and mercury levels in soil and biological samples from San Felipe, Nuevo Mercurio, Zacatecas, Mexico. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 86: 212-216. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    27. Salihoglu G., Salihoglu N.K., Aksoy E., Tasdemir Y. (2011): Spatial and temporal distribution of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations in soils of an industrialized city in Turkey. Journal of Environmental Management, 92: 724-32. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    28. Senthilkumar K., Priya M., Sajwan K.S., Kolli R., Roots O. (2009): Residues of persistent organic pollutants in Estonian soil. Estonian Journal of Earth Science, 58: 109-123. Go to original source...
    29. Shegunova P., Klanova J., Holoubek I. (2007): Residues of organochlorinated pesticides in soils from Czech Republic. Environmental Pollution, 146: 257-261. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    30. Shelepchikov A.A., Brodsky E. S., Feshin D.B., Mir-Kadirova E.Y. (2009): Organic contaminants in the Moscow region. Organohalogen Compounds, 71: 439-443.
    31. USEPA (1995): USEPA Method 3545. Pressurized Fluid Extraction, EPA SW-846, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC.
    32. Usha S., Harikishna V.R. (2005): Endosulphan - Fact sheet and answers to common questions. Available at www.thanal.org
    33. Van Den Berg M., Birnbaum L.S., Denison M., De Vito M., Farland W., Feeley M., Fiedler H., Hakansson H., Hanberg A., Haws L., Rose M., Safe S., Schrenk D., Tohyama C., Tritscher A., Tuomisto J., Tysklind M., Walker N., Peterson R.E. (2006): The 2005 World Health Organization re-evaluation of human and mammalian toxic equivalency factors for dioxins and dioxin-like compounds. Toxicological Science, 93: 223-241. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    34. Viet P.H., Hoai P.M., Minh N.H., Ngoc N.T., Hung P.T. (2000): Persistent organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in some agricultural and industrial areas in Northern Vietnam. Water Science and Technology, 42: 223-229. Go to original source...
    35. Wang Hui, Quiong An, Yuan-Hua Dong, De Chen Li, Velde B. (2010): Contamination and congener profiles of polychlorinated biphenyls from different agricultural top soils in a county of the Tailake region, China. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 176: 1027-1031. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    36. Wang P., Zhang Q., Wang Y., Wang T., Li X., Li Y., Ding L., Jiang G. (2009): Altitude dependence of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in surface soil from Tibetan Plateau, China. Chemosphere, 76: 1498-1504. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    37. Wang X., Wang D., Qin X., Xu X. (2008): Residues of organochlorine pesticides in surface soils from college school yards in Beijing, China. Journal of Environmental Science, 20: 1090-1096. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    38. Webber M.D., Wang C. (1995): Industrial organic compounds in selected Canadian soils. Canadian Journal of Soil Science, 75: 513-524. Go to original source...
    39. Zhang G., Chakraborty P., Li J., Sampathkumar P., Balasubramanian T., Kathiresan K., Takahashi S., Subramanian A., Tanabe S., Jones K.C. (2008): Passive atmospheric sampling of organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, and polybrominated diphenyl ethers in urban, rural, and wetland sites along the coastal length on India. Environmental Science and Technology, 42: 8218-8223. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    40. Zhang Jian-Ying, Qui Li Min, He Jia, Liao Yuan, Luo Yong-Ming (2007): Occurrence and congener's specific of polychlorinated biphenyls in agricultural soils from Southern Jiangsu, China. Journal of Environmental Science, 19: 338-342. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...

    This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY NC 4.0), which permits non-comercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original publication is properly cited. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.


    Return to the content