Studies on degradation of 14C-DDT in the marine environment.

Degradation of 14C-DDT was studied in a marine ecosystem for 60 days and in marine sediments under moist and flooded conditions using a continuous flow system for a period of 130 days. 14C-DDT residues were recovered in sediments of the marine ecosystem at uniform level of 60-65% of the applied 14C-activity throughout the incubation period. DDD was a major metabolite in sediments while DDMU was a major metabolite in clams. Clams brought about substantial degradation of DDT. However, 14C-residues recovered form clams are not suggestive of significant bioaccumulation. In the continuous flow experiment, under both moist and flooded conditions, DDT underwent degradation and about 22% of the applied 14C-activity was recovered as volatiles under both conditions. In sediments, extractable 14C-residues accounted for about 30 and 19% under moist and flooded conditions, respectively. DDT was the major compound in extractable residues as identified by TLC-autoradiographic procedures. More bound residues were formed under flooded than under moist conditions.     

Degradation of 14C-carbofuran in soil using a continuous flow system

14C-carbofuran underwent considerable mineralization (approximately 30% of the applied activity) in Vertisol soil under moist and flooded conditions during 60 days incubation. Bound residues were formed under both the conditions, the extent being more in moist soils (approximately 55% of the applied activity) than under flooded conditions (approximately 41% of the applied activity). 3-Keto carbofuran was the only significant metabolite observed under flooded conditions.     

Bioavailability and toxicological potential of sunflower-bound residues of 14C-chlorpyrifos insecticide in rats

Sunflower plants were treated with ¹⁴C-chlorpyrifos under conditions simulating local agricultural practice. Residues present in the oil, methanol extract and cake of the treated sunflower seeds were 7.2, 2.8, and 12 ppm, respectively. When rats fed on sunflower cake containing bound residues for three days, the animals eliminated 46 % of the radioactivity in urine, 25 % in feces and 10 % in the expired air. A further bioavailable amount of 8 % was found in selected organs indicating that the bound residues were highly bioavailable. Chromatographic analysis of urine extract revealed the presence of the parent compound, its oxon, desethyl chlorpyrifos and desethyl chlorpyrifos oxon as free metabolites in addition to a conjugated metabolite. It was liberated by acid hydrolysis and identified as 3,5,6-trichloro-2-hydroxypyridine. Bound residues were found to have biological effects such as inhibition of rat plasma ChE, elevations of liver parameters (ALT, AST, and ALP), decrease in total protein and albumin content suggesting a hepatotoxic potential. A significant increase in the values of creatinine, urea, cholesterol, triglycerides and significant decrease in Catalase and Glutathion-S-Transfrase were observed in treated rats.     

Bioavailability and toxicological potential of sunflower-bound residues of (14)C-chlorpyrifos insecticide in rats

Sunflower plants were treated with (14)C-chlorpyrifos under conditions simulating local agricultural practice. Residues present in the oil, methanol extract and cake of the treated sunflower seeds were 7.2, 2.8, and 12 ppm, respectively. When rats fed on sunflower cake containing bound residues for three days, the animals eliminated 46 % of the radioactivity in urine, 25 % in feces and 10 % in the expired air. A further bioavailable amount of 8 % was found in selected organs indicating that the bound residues were highly bioavailable. Chromatographic analysis of urine extract revealed the presence of the parent compound, its oxon, desethyl chlorpyrifos and desethyl chlorpyrifos oxon as free metabolites in addition to a conjugated metabolite. It was liberated by acid hydrolysis and identified as 3,5,6-trichloro-2-hydroxypyridine. Bound residues were found to have biological effects such as inhibition of rat plasma ChE, elevations of liver parameters (ALT, AST, and ALP), decrease in total protein and albumin content suggesting a hepatotoxic potential. A significant increase in the values of creatinine, urea, cholesterol, triglycerides and significant decrease in Catalase and Glutathion-S-Transfrase were observed in treated rats.     

Metabolism of 14C‐carbaryl and 14C‐1‐naphthol in moist and flooded soils

Abstract

The metabolism of ¹⁴C‐carbaryl and ¹⁴C‐1‐naphthol in moist and flooded soils was studied in a continuous flow‐through system over a period of 28 days permitting ¹⁴C‐mass balance. The percent distribution of radiocarbon in organic volatiles, carbon dioxide, extractable and non‐extractable (bound) fractions of soils were determined. Organic volatiles could not be detected in both carbaryl and 1‐naphthol treated soils. More of ¹⁴CO₂ (25.6%) was evolved from moist than flooded soil (15.1%) treated with carbaryl. However, the mineralization of ¹⁴C‐1‐naphthol was negligible. The extractable radiocarbon was more in flooded soil (28.9%) than moist soil (5.5%) from carbaryl treatment. Less than one percent was present as parent compound, whereas carbaryl was mainly metabolized to 5‐hydroxy carbaryl in moist soil and to 4‐ and 5‐hydroxy carbaryl in flooded soil. The extractable radiocarbon amounted to 18.2 and 24.3% in moist and flooded soils respectively and the parent compound was less than one percent with 1‐naphthol treatment. Most of the radiocarbon was found as soil bound residues; the formation being more with 1‐naphthol than carbaryl. Humin fraction of the soil organic matter contributed most to soil bound residues of both carbaryl and 1‐naphthol.     

Anaerobic microbial dechlorination: an approach to on-site treatment of toxaphene-contaminated soil

Enhanced microbial degradation of toxaphene by natural microorganisms occurred in soil and sediment amended with organic matter kept under anaerobic (flooded) conditions. Laboratory experiments yielded a dissipation half-life of approximately 3 and 1 week for soil and sediment, respectively, containing 10 ppm of technical toxaphene and a 1% alfalfa meal amendment. Dissipation was accompanied by an increase in early eluting gas chromatographic peaks and a decrease in later eluting peaks, indicating that dechlorination had occurred. Enhanced anaerobic dissipation also took place in soil containing 500 ppm of toxaphene, although at a lesser rate than at 10 ppm, and when cotton gin waste was used as amendment in place of alfalfa meal. Sediment in a toxaphene-contaminated pesticide waste disposal ditch was amended with 10% steer manure and flooded to ascertain field utility of the technique for on-site decontamination. Toxaphene residues were reduced from 63 to 23 ppm in 120 days, and some degradation activity still occurred up to 8 months after this single treatment.     

Evidence for enhanced dissipation of chlorpyrifos in an agricultural soil inoculated with Serratia rubidaea strain ABS 10

The insecticide ¹⁴C-chlorpyrifos was found mineralized in a Tunisian soil with repeated exposure to it. From this soil, a bacterial strain was isolated that was able to grow in a minimal salt medium (MSM) supplemented with 25 mg L^?1 of chlorpyrifos. It was characterized as Serratia rubidaea strain ABS 10 using morphological and biochemical analyses, as well as 16S rRNA sequencing. In a liquid culture, the S. rubidaea strain ABS 10 was able to dissipate chlorpyrifos almost entirely within 48 h of incubation. Although the S. rubidaea strain ABS 10 was able to grow in an MSM supplemented with chlorpyrifos and dissipate it in a liquid culture, it was not able to mineralize ¹⁴C-chlorpyrifos. Therefore, it can be concluded that the dissipation capability of this bacteria might be attributed to its capacity to adsorb CHL. It can also be ascribed to other reasons such as the formation of biogenic non-extractable residues. In both non-sterile and sterile soil inoculated with S. rubidaea strain ABS 10, chlorpyrifos was more rapidly dissipated than in controls with DT₅₀ of 1.38 and 1.05 days, respectively.

     

Evaluation of the potential impact of polluted sediments using Manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum: bioaccumulation and biomarker responses

An assessment was made to monitor the short-term impact of heavily polluted sediments that may move out from the brackish man-made Lake Shihwa outside of the sea dike due to operations of a tidal power plant. Here, we exposed the Manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum collected from the western coast of Korea to natural sediment under lab condition for 96?h. Sediments were collected from Lake Shihwa and outside of the sea dike representing polluted and reference conditions, respectively. The results of chemical analysis revealed that the concentrations of nonylphenol and heavy metals in water and sediment from the inner region of Lake Shihwa were significantly higher than those of reference sediments. After 48 and 96?h of exposure, 30 specimens of clams were sampled from each experimental condition, and concentrations of nonylphenol and metals were measured in clams, water, and sediments. Several biomarkers, including concentrations of metallothionein-like proteins, and activities of the antioxidant enzymes glutathione S-transferase and catalase were determined in clams to characterize the effects of polluted sediments to clams. After 96?h of exposure, R. philippinarum assimilated nonylphenol up to 71 times compared to initial concentrations. However, there was no apparent uptake of heavy metals into the clams. Additionally, antioxidant enzymes exhibited higher activities in clams exposed to the polluted sediment. The results of the present study with physiological responses in R. philippinarum suggest that sediment transportation caused by the operation of a tidal power plant in Lake Shihwa will have striking effects on benthic organisms in the adjacent coastal area.     

Ratio of the concentration of anthraquinone to anthracene in coastal marine sediments

The ratio of the concentration of the oxidation product anthraquinone to that of its parent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon anthracene is reported for several coastal marine sediments. The ratio ranges from 0.317 in a highly contaminated industrialized harbor to 2.81 in a remote, less contaminated site. We hypothesize that differences in this ratio result from the input source of PAHs, with input from atmospheric deposition at remote sites resulting in a predominance of anthraquinone (ratio > 1), and direct discharge to highly contaminated industrialized harbors resulting in a predominance of anthracene (ratio < 1). To support this hypothesis, the fate of anthracene in the marine environment was investigated with respect to conversion to its oxidation product, anthraquinone. Once associated with sediments, anthracene is believed to be relatively persistent; however, it can potentially be subjected to oxidation via biological (microbial degradation) and chemical (chemical oxidation and photooxidation) processes. An assessment of the extent of oxidation of anthracene associated with sediments was conducted both under conditions simulating those found in the marine environment and under rigorous conditions by exposure to UV radiation. Results of this study show that while anthracene associated with marine sediments does not readily undergo oxidation to anthraquinone under conditions normally encountered in the marine environment, under extreme conditions anthracene is photooxidized by exposure to UV radiation. The extent of oxidation is influenced by sediment characteristics such as percent organic carbon, humic acid content and sediment surface area. The relative stability of anthracene under normal conditions may help to validate the use of the anthraquinone to anthracene ratio in marine sediments as an environmental marker of contaminant source.     

Seasonal variation of sediment toxicity in the Rivers Dommel and Elbe

Contaminated sediment in the river basin has become a source of pollution with increasing importance to the aquatic ecosystem downstream. To monitor the temporal changes of the sediment bound contaminants in the River Elbe and the River Dommel monthly toxicity tests were applied to layered sediment and river water samples over the course of 10 months. There is an indication that contaminated sediments upstream adversely affected sediments downstream, but this process did not cause a continuous increase of sediment toxicity. A clear decrease of toxic effects in water and upper layer sediment was observed at the River Elbe station in spring related to high water discharge and algal blooms. The less obvious variation of sediment toxicity in the River Dommel could be explained by stable hydrological conditions. Future monitoring programmes should promote a more frequent and intensive sampling regime during these particular events for ecotoxicological evaluation.     

Dissipation of chlorpyrifos in two soil environments of semi-arid India

The dissipation of chlorpyrifos (20 EC) at environment-friendly doses in the sandy loam and loamy sand soils of two semi-arid fields and the presence of pesticide residues in the harvested groundnut seeds, were monitored. The movement of chlorpyrifos through soil and its binding in the loamy sand soil was studied using 14C chlorpyrifos. Chlorpyrifos was moderately stable in both loamy sand and sandy loam soils, with half-life of 12.3 and 16.4 days, respectively. With 20 EC treatments the dissipation was slower for standing crop than seed treatment, indicative of the high degradation rates in the bioactive rhizosphere. In soil, 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCP) was the principal breakdown product. Presence of 3,5,6-trichloro-2-methoxypyridine (TMP), the secondary metabolite, detected in the rhizospheric samples during this study, has not been reported earlier in field soils. The rapid dissipation of the insecticide from the soil post-application might have resulted from low sorption due to the alkalinity of the soil and its low organic matter content, fast topsoil dissipation possibly by volatilization and photochemical degradation, aided by the low water solubility, limited vertical mobility due to confinement of residues to the upper 15 cm soil layers and microbial mineralization and nucleophilic hydrolysis. Contrary to the reports of relatively greater mobility of its metabolites in temperate soils, TMP and TCP remained confined to the top 15 cm soil. The formation of bound residues (half-life 13.4 days) in the loamy sand soil was little and not "irreversible." A decline in bound residues could be correlated to decreasing TCP concentration. Higher pod yields were obtained from pesticide treated soils in comparison to controls. Post-harvest no pesticide residues were detected in the soils and groundnut seeds.     

Environmental fate of amitrole: influence of dissolved organic matter

In this study the environmental fate of amitrole in terrestrial and aquatic model ecosystems was investigated. Under aerobic conditions mineralization of amitrole is the main degradation pathway. The experiments revealed that the leaching behaviour is low in the presence or the absence of dissolved organic matter (DOM) despite the high water solubility due to a strong binding of amitrole to soil constituents. Under anaerobic conditions the addition of DOM increases the transport of amitrole in soil columns. The tests with water/sediment model ecosystems showed that the mineralization of amitrole is lower in comparison to aerobic soil experiments. Up to 80.6% of the applied 14C-labelled amitrole transfer into the sediment and about 1/3 of this amount formed bound residues, which are not extractable.     

Persistence, degradation and leaching of coumaphos in soil

Dissipation, degradation and leaching of fresh 14C coumaphos, alkylated 14C coumaphos and aged residues of 14C coumaphos from vats were studied in alkaline sandy loam soil in soil columns in the field under subtropical conditions in Delhi for a year. Dissipation, degradation and bound residue formation was more in case of alkali treated coumaphos than fresh coumaphos. After 365 days total residues of fresh coumaphos accounted for 33.25% while that of alkali treated coumaphos was 19.12%. Bound residue formation was almost double in case of alkali treated coumaphos (18.95%) than fresh coumaphos (9.53%) after 150 days followed by release of bound residue in both the cases. The proportion of metabolites 4-methylumbelliferone, chlorferon and potasan collectively was 86.05% in fresh coumaphos extractable residues while the same was 91.74% in alkali treated coumaphos after 365 days. Aged residues from vats containing copper sulphate and buffer were found to be more persistent in soil as total residues remained were 95.58% in comparison with 83.09% total residues of aged residues from vats containing only buffer after 150 days of treatment. Copper sulphate seems to inhibit the degradatiion of coumaphos in soil by microorganisms. Chlorferon was the major metabolite in generally all the samples. Coumaphos did not leach below 10 cm in all the cases.     

Concentrations of organotin compounds in sediment and clams collected from coastal areas in Vietnam

Levels of butyltin (BT) and phenyltin (PT) compounds were determined in sediments and clam Meretrix spp. collected from north and central coastal areas in Vietnam. Concentrations of TBT in sediments ranged from 0.89 to 34 ng g(-1) dry wt and those in clams ranged from 1.4 to 56 ng g(-1) wet wt. The levels of TBT in sediments and clams from Vietnam were within limits reported from other countries. Further, the TBT level in clams was lower than the tolerable average residue level (TARL) estimated based on tolerable daily intake (TDI). Trace amounts of PTs were also found in both sediment and clam samples. In sediments from north and central Vietnam, the concentrations of TBT were highest in the order of Hue (28 ng g(-1) dry wt), Cua Luc (15 ng g(-1) dry wt), Sam Son (6.3 ng g(-1) dry wt), and Tra Co (5.5 ng g(-1) dry wt). Among the clams from north and central Vietnam, the levels of TBT in clams from Cua Luc were dramatically high at 47 ng g(-1) wet wt. TBT formed the principal butyltin species in sediment at all sites studied. The ratios of TBT in sediment were higher among BT compounds at all study sites. Of total BTs, TBT was the dominant species in clams from almost all sites studied. In spatial distribution, TPT showed a pattern similar to TBT, suggesting the use of TPT as an antifouling paint. The partition coefficient between sediment and calms was calculated. The partition coefficients of TBT and TPT were 2.01 (0.56-5.5) and 9.23 (3.1-20), respectively. These results show that sediment-bound TBT is a source of contamination to clams in addition to dissolved TBT.     

Formation of bound residues by naphthalene and cis-naphthalene-1,2-dihydrodiol

The formation of bound residues by naphthalene and its metabolite, cis-naphthalene-1,2-dihydrodiol, in a sediment (1% OC), a silty loam soil (2.9% OC) and a peat (26% OC) was examined. The experiments were carried out under both sterile and nonsterile conditions for up to 35 days. The samples containing bound contaminant were hydrolyzed at an alkaline pH and fractionated using 3,000 and 500 Da molecular weight cutoff ultrafiltration membranes in series. The results for all the geosorbents examined showed that bound residue formation is low for naphthalene and between 5 and 20 times higher for the metabolite. The amount of bound residues released by hydrolysis was higher for the metabolite than for the parent compound for all the samples. The molecular weight distribution of bound radioactivity after hydrolysis showed binding to the high molecular weight components of the sediment organic matter and to the low molecular weight components for soil and peat organic matter when incubated with cis-naphthalene-1,2-dihydrodiol. Experiments performed with naphthalene-UL-(14)C showed larger amounts of bound residue found than in experiments with naphthalene-1-(14)C.     

Arsenic mobility in contaminated lake sediments

An arsenic contaminated lake sediment near a landfill in Maine was used to characterize the geochemistry of arsenic and assess the influence of environmental conditions on its mobility. A kinetic model was developed to simulate the leaching ability of arsenic in lake sediments under different environmental conditions. The HM1D chemical transport model was used to model the column experiments and determine the rates of arsenic mobility from the sediment. Laboratory studies provided the information to construct a conceptual model to demonstrate the mobility of arsenic in the lake sediment. The leaching ability of arsenic in lake sediments greatly depends on the flow conditions of ground water and the geochemistry of the sediments. Large amounts of arsenic were tightly bound to the sediments. The amount of arsenic leaching out of the sediment to the water column was substantially decreased due to iron/arsenic co-precipitation at the water-sediment interface. Overall, it was found that arsenic greatly accumulated at the ground water/lake interface and it formed insoluble precipitates.     

Relationship between copper speciation in sediments and bioaccumulation by marine bivalves of Taiwan

This paper evaluates the relationships between copper species in sediments and accumulation by the purple clam (Hiatula diphos) and venus clam (Gomphina aeguilatera) collected from the field and culture (aquaculture) ponds in the polluted coastal area of Lukang, Taiwan. Sediment was sampled along with the molluscs, including oysters (Crassostrea gigas), purple clams (Hiatula diphos), rock-shells (Thais clavigera), venus clams (Gomphina aeguilatera), and hard clams (Meretrix lusoria), from two unique environments of Lukang during the period from August 1993 to July 1994. The data indicate that the total copper concentrations in sediments from culture ponds (185 microg g(-1)) was higher than those of the field (44.0 microg g(-1)). Copper species in sediments were analyzed by a sequential leaching technique. Results show that concentrations of various copper species in the sediments are in the range of 1.14 +/- 0.59 to 13.2 +/- 22.4 microg g(-1) and 0.36 +/- 0.24 to 133 +/- 36.7 microg g(-1) for the two environments, respectively. Also the exchangeable copper in sediment from culture ponds was 15 times higher than that from the field. In addition, the sum of exchangeable and copper carbonates had the highest percentages of copper in both the pond sediment (86.6 %) and the field sediment (50.7 %). Maximum copper concentrations (309 +/- 35.1 microg g(-1)) in oysters were much higher than those in the other benthic organisms by about 4-127 times. Similarly, the data also showed that copper concentrations in Thais clavigera were 12-32 times higher than those in other benthic organisms. Copper concentrations in various benthic organisms differed significantly (p < 0.05) from that in Thais clavigera. This capacity makes Thais clavigera a potential candidate for monitoring copper in marine sediments. In terms of copper species, the best correlation was generally obtained between copper carbonates in sediments and copper concentrations in Hiatula diphos (r = 0.886*). A strong multiple regression correlation (p < 0.05, r2 = 0.7894) also indicates that the copper carbonates may dominate as the available form of copper to Hiatula diphos from various environments in the Lukang coastal area under natural physicochemical conditions.     

Laboratory assessment of atrazine and fluometuron degradation in soils from a constructed wetland

Constructed wetlands offer promise for removal of nonpoint source contaminants such as herbicides from agricultural runoff. Laboratory studies assessed the potential of soils to degrade and sorb atrazine and fluometuron within a recently constructed wetland. The surface 3 cm of soil was sampled from two cells of a Mississippi Delta constructed wetland; one shallow area disturbed only hydrologically, and the second excavated to provide greater water-holding capacity. The excavated area was more acidic on average (pH 4.85 versus 5.21), but otherwise the physical properties and general microbial enzyme activities in the two areas were similar. Soils were treated with 84 and 68 microg kg(-1) soil (14)C-ring labeled atrazine and fluometuron, respectively, and incubated under either saturated (88% moisture, w:w) or flooded (1cm standing water) conditions. Soils were sampled over 32 days and extracted for herbicide and metabolite analysis. Under saturated conditions, fluometuron metabolized to desmethylfluometuron (DMF) with a half-life equal 25-27 days. However, under flooded conditions, the half-life of fluometuron was more than 175 days. Atrazine dissipated rapidly in saturated and flooded soil with a half-life of approximately 23 days, but only 10% of atrazine was mineralized to CO(2). The overall atrazine and fluometuron dissipation rates were similar between the two cells, but each area had a different pattern of metabolite accumulation. The major route of atrazine dissipation was incorporation of atrazine residues into methanol-nonextractable (soil-bound) components, with minimal extractable metabolite accumulation. A mixed-mode extractant (potassium phosphate:acetonitrile) recovered greater amounts of (14)C-residues from atrazine-treated soils, suggesting that hydrolysis of atrazine to hydroxylated metabolites was a major component of the bound residues. These studies indicate the potential for herbicide dissipation in wetland soils and a differential effect of flooding on the fate of these herbicides.     

Degradation of sulfonamides antibiotics in lake water and sediment

Degradation of three sulfonamides (SAs), namely sulfamethoxazole (SMX), sulfamethazine (SMZ), and sulfadimethoxine (SDM) in surface water and sediments collected from Taihu Lake and Dianchi Lake, China was investigated in this study. The surface water (5–10 cm) was collected from the east region of Taihu Lake, China. Two sets of degradation experiments were conducted in 3-L glass bottles containing 2 L of fresh lake water and 100 μg/L of individual SAs aerated by bubbling air at a rate of approximately 1.2 L/min, one of which was sterilized by the addition of NaN₃ (0.1 %). Sediment samples were taken from Taihu Lake and Dianchi Lake, China. For the sediment experiment, 5 g of sediment were weighed into a 50-mL glass tube, with 10 mg/kg of individual SAs. Different experimental conditions including the sediment types, sterilization, light exposure, and redox condition were also considered in the experiments. The three SAs degraded in lake water with half-lives (t _1/2) of 10.5–12.9 days, and the half-lives increased significantly to 31.9–49.8 days in the sterilized water. SMZ and SDM were degraded by abiotic processes in Taihu and Dianchi sediments, and the different experimental conditions and sediments characteristics had no significant effect on their declines. SMX, however, was mainly transformed by facultative anaerobes in Taihu and Dianchi sediments under anaerobic conditions, and the degradation rate of SMX in non-sterile sediment (t _1/2 of 9.6–16.7 days) were higher than in sterilized sediment (t _1/2 of 18.7–135.9 days). Under abiotic conditions, degradation of SMX in Dianchi sediment was faster than in Taihu sediment, probably due to the higher organic matter content and inorganic photosensitizers concentrations in Dianchi sediment. High initial SAs concentration inhibited the SAs degradation, which was likely related to the inhibition of microorganism activities by high SAs levels in sediments. Results from this study could provide information on the persistence of commonly used sulfanomides antibiotics in lake environment.     

Persistence,degradation and leaching of coumaphos in soil

Abstract

Dissipation, degradation and leaching of fresh ¹⁴C coumaphos, alkylated ¹⁴C coumaphos and aged residues of ¹⁴C coumaphos from vats were studied in alkaline sandy loam soil in soil columns in the field under subtropical conditions in Delhi for a year. Dissipation, degradation and bound residue formation was more in case of alkali treated coumaphos than fresh coumaphos. After 365 days total residues of fresh coumaphos accounted for 33.25% while that of alkali treated coumaphos was 19.12%. Bound residue formation was almost double in case of alkali treated coumaphos (18.95%) than fresh coumaphos (9.53%) after 150 days followed by release of bound residue in both the cases. The proportion of metabolites 4 ‐ methylumbelliferone, chlorferon and potasan collectively was 86.05% in fresh coumaphos extractable residues while the same was 91.74% in alkali treated coumaphos after 365 days. Aged residues from vats containing copper sulphate and buffer were found to be more persistent in soil as total residues remained were 95.58% in comparison with 83.09% total residues of aged residues from vats containing only buffer after 150 days of treatment. Copper sulphate seems to inhibit the degradatiion of coumaphos in soil by microorganisms. Chlorferon was the major metabolite in generally all the samples. Coumaphos did not leach below 10 cm in all the cases.