Evaluation of pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables from the Aegean region of Turkey and assessment of risk to consumers

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Pesticides may cause a potential risk to human health when applied in excess to control pests, diseases, and weeds in crop fields. In the current...     

The effect of simulated rain on folpet and mancozeb residues on grapes and on vine leaves

Artificial rainfalls were used to determine the effect of the amount of the rainfall and the time interval between pesticide application and rainfall event, on folpet and mancozeb residues on grapes and vine leaves. Forty-five mm of rain were administered to the vineyard in different amounts (45; 30+15; 15+15+15 mm). Folpet showed good rainfastness on the grapes and on the leaves. A modest decrease was observed only in the experiments that had received 45 mm of rain at one go. Mancozeb showed a lower rainfastness, since a portion of the deposit was easily washed off also by a modest rainfall. The percentage of this portion was higher in the grapes (38%) than in the leaves (20%). The data obtained in these experiments show that, in the case of folpet, it is not necessary to repeat the treatment when it rains the day after, while it is recommendable to repeat it in the case of mancozeb.     

Study of the organic matter evolution during municipal solid waste composting aimed at identifying suitable parameters for the evaluation of compost maturity

In this work the composting process of municipal solid wastes was studied in order to characterize the transformations of organic matter, particularly humic acid (HA). A composting process, lasting three months, was monitored by chemical methods; the following parameters were measured: water-soluble carbon concentration (WSC) and humic substances content (humic and fulvic acid (FA)). The effects of humification on the molecular structure of humic acid (HA) were also evaluated by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and (13)C NMR spectroscopy. WSC concentration rapidly increased reaching a maximum at day-14 of the composting process and then declined. The humic and fulvic acid content (HA and FA, respectively) slightly increased during the process. The FT-IR and (13)C NMR spectra of HA indicate a high rate of change in structure during composting. The groups containing aromatic and carboxylic C increased, while polysaccharides and other aliphatic structures degraded during composting, resulting in HA structures of higher aromaticity. Therefore, spectrometric measurements could provide information significantly correlated to conventional chemical parameters of compost maturity.     

Photodegradation of pesticides .1. Photolysis rates and half‐life of acylanilides and their major metabolites in water

The photolysis in water solution of three fungicides (Metalaxyl, Benalaxyl, and Furalaxyl) was studied under artificial light. At λ = 254 Benalaxyl and Furalaxyl underwent fast degradation with rearrangement reactions less complex than those of Metalaxyl. Under A = 254–290 the photolysis was very fast and Benalaxyl and Furalaxyl show a common behaviour. This was found to be a kinetic consecutive process leading, at first, to N‐2,6‐xylyl‐D,L‐alaninate (II), which was degraded to 2,6‐dimethylaniline (IV). This amine gives unknown products. Metalaxyl underwent a parallel/consecutive photodegradtion to give (II) and N‐(methoxyacetyl)‐2,6‐dimethylaniline (VI). While (II) was easily converted to (IV) as earlier, (VI) was more stable to photolysis. Under λ > 290 all the fungicides shown very slow degradation with pseudo first order rate constants. The photoproducts were degraded faster than the parent compounds by factors from 13 to 1800. The presence of photosensitizer in water (humic acids or acetone) resulted in total decomposition of fungicides and of their photoproducts.     

Evaluation of ecological security for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-5 countries: new evidence from the RALS unit root test

Environmental and Ecological Statistics - The present study seeks to determine the convergence of the ecological footprint pressure index for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN-5)...     

Post-conflict disaster governance in Nepal: one-door policy,multiple-window practice

The response to the earthquakes in Nepal on 25 April and 12 May 2015 was as overwhelming as the magnitude of the events themselves. Tensions between the humanitarian imperative and the post-conflict state-building agenda soon became evident. Many actors offered support by creatively complying with the state's approach, whereas others bypassed official channels completely. In post-conflict settings such as Nepal, the situation is especially complicated because of the contradiction between policies underscoring the importance of the state in the response and the reality of the fragility of the state, which often leads to the significant involvement of aid organisations. The post-conflict political landscape of Nepal shaped the contours of the response, as well as how actors decided to operate within them. This paper, based on empirical findings from four months of research, contributes to a better understanding of the intricacies of the post-conflict and post-disaster nexus in the context of a state-led response.     

Pine needle and semi-permeable membrane device derived organochlorine compounds (OCPs) concentrations in air in Mersin Province to Taurus,Turkey

Abstract

Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were analyzed in three different ages (half-, 1.5-, 2.5-year-old) for needles and semi permeable membrane devices (SPMDs) at three deployment periods from sea level to 1881 meter above sea level. Individual HCHs concentrations ranged between 1.4 and 129?pg/g fw depending on the age and sampling season while 2.5-year-old needles showed higher HCHs levels compared to half and 1.5- year-old. Correlation between elevation and HCH concentration in SPMDs was found but not in needle samples. Concentrations of HCHs in SPMDs indicated clearly cold condensation effect on accumulation in winter period and increased with altitude. Concentrations of DDTs in half and 1.5-year-old needles were lower than 2.5-year-old needles. The highest total concentration of DDTs was detected in 1-year-period SPMD. Higher concentrations were found in 2.5-year-old needles for other OCPs. Seasonal and altitude-dependent changes were not observed for other OCPs in SMPDs. Total accumulation of OCPs in SPMDs were found higher than in needles. On the contrary, an increased accumulation rate was observed for HCHs in SPMD. In general, Total concentrations of DDTs and HCHs were similar to total of other OCPs in all altitudes when dominating endosulfan wasnot taken into account in the computation of total concentration of other OCPs.     

The source of DDT and its metabolites contamination in Turkish agricultural soils

The concentration and impact of 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)-ethane (DDT) and its metabolites (DDE: 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethylene) on the environment was expected to decrease after its ban in the mid-1980s. Unfortunately, DDT contamination via its presence as an impurity in dicofol (2,2,2-trichloro-1,1-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethanol) has led to a new source of contamination. This is particularly true especially in cotton production in Söke Plain, Turkey, where difocol-based pesticides are being used. The aim of this research was to investigate the extent and source of DDT contamination in cotton soils. Söke Plain soil samples were collected from 0–30, 30–60, and 60–90-cm depth and analyzed by GC/MS/MS. o,p′-DDT and p, p′-DDE were detected at 16.2 % and 17.6 % of the sites in the 0–30-cm depth of soils. In the 30–60 cm, p, p′-DDT (14.9 %), o, p′-DDE (8.1 %) and p, p′-DDE (2.7 %) were found in soil samples, and p, p′-DDT was the most prevalent with 9.5 % of the sampling sites. The dominant source of DDT particularly in the 60–90-cm depth was due to historic use of DDT. The presence of p, p′-DDE, o, p′-DDE and p,p′-DDT in the topsoil was attributed to recent dicofol applications.     

Pesticide residues in artichokes: Effect of different head shape

Abstract

Residues of three pesticides (dimethoate, parathion, and pyrazophos) in two artichoke cultivars, Masedu and Spinoso sardo, were investigated. The amount of pesticides in artichokes was greatly affected by the head shape. In the case of the calix‐shaped Masedu artichoke, the residues in whole heads at commercial ripening were on average about twice higher than those of the pagoda‐shaped Spinoso sardo artichoke. In the heart this ratio was 4 to 42 times greater. Residue decay rates were very fast, mainly owing to the dilution effect due to head growth.     

Heavy metal immobilization by chemical amendments in a polluted soil and influence on white lupin growth

The effects of chemical amendments (zeolite, compost and calcium hydroxide) on the solubility of Pb, Cd and Zn in a contaminated soil were determined. The polluted soil was from the Southwest Sardinia, Italy. It showed very high total concentrations of Pb (19663 mgkg(-1) d.m.), Cd (196 mgkg(-1) d.m.) and Zn (14667 mgkg(-1) d.m.). The growth and uptake of heavy metals by white lupin (Lupinus albus L., cv. Multitalia) in amended soils were also studied in a pot experiment under greenhouse conditions. Results showed that the amendments increased the residual fraction of heavy metals in the soils, and decreased the heavy metals uptake by white lupin compared with the unamended control. Among the three amendments, compost and Ca(OH)2 were the most efficient at reducing Pb and Zn uptake, while zeolite was the most efficient at reducing Cd uptake by the plants. White lupin growth was better in amended soils than in unamended control. The above ground biomass increased with a factor 1.8 (soil amended with zeolite), 3.6 (soil amended with compost) and 3.1 (soil amended with Ca(OH)2) with respect to unamended soil. The roots biomass increased with a factor 1.4 (soil amended with zeolite), 5.6 (soil amended with compost) and 4.8 (soil amended with Ca(OH)2). Results obtained suggest that the soil chemical treatment improved the performance of crops by reducing bioavailability of metals in the soils. However it would be therefore interesting to find a suitable mixture of these amendments to contemporarily immobilize the three main pollutants in the polluted soils.