Evaluation of organochlorinated pesticide (OCP) residues in soil, sediment and water from the Msunduzi River in South Africa
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Date
2019
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Environmental earth sciences
Abstract
Organochlorinated pesticide (OCP) concentrations were evaluated in sediment, soil and surface water of the Msunduzi River
as well as the influent, effluent and biosolids from the Darvill wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) of Pietermaritzburg,
South Africa. Samples were extracted with dichloromethane using an ultra-sonication method, and cleaned up using multilayered
silica gel and analysed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The results showed that all 13 selected OCPs
were detected in all the environmental media as well as in the wastewater treatment plant samples. The results revealed that
the OCP concentrations along the sites varied based on the anthropogenic activities of the area. The influent of the Darvill
WWTP and Du Toit (DUT) site were found to be the most polluted sites. The results from the winter sampling showed
highest concentrations of OCPs compared to the spring season. Sediment was found to contain significant amounts of all
the selected OCPs with water samples containing the lowest concentrations for both winter and spring seasons. Among the
OCPs evaluated, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolites were predominant in all.
Description
Keywords
Organochlorinated pesticides, Msunduzi River, Wastewater treatment plant, Winter and spring seasons
Citation
Adeyinka, G. C., Moodley, B., Birungi, G., & Ndungu, P. (2019). Evaluation of organochlorinated pesticide (OCP) residues in soil, sediment and water from the Msunduzi River in South Africa. Environmental earth sciences, 78(6), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-019-8227-y