Organochlorine pesticides in the dust fall around Lake Chaohu, the fifth largest lake in China

The residual levels of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in the dust fall around Lake Chaohu were measured using gas chromatography mass spectrometry from April 2010 to March 2011. The fluxes, components, temporal–spatial variations, and sources of OCPs were also analyzed. Twenty-one types of OCPs were detected in the dust fall samples around Lake Chaohu, with a total concentration of 51.54?±?36.31 ng/g and a total flux of 10.01?±?13.69 ng/(m² day). Aldrin (35.3 %), endosulfan (39.1 %), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs) (49.8 %), and isodrin (37.1 %) were the major OCPs in the spring, summer, autumn, and winter, respectively. Both the residual level and the flux were higher in the spring than in other seasons and higher at the outer lake sampling sites than inner lake sampling site. The potential source of the hexachlorcyclohexanes in the dust fall may be recent lindane usage. The DDTs mainly came from historical dicofol usage, and a significant input of DDT was found during April and June. The presence of endosulfan may be due to the present use of technical endosulfan. The aldrin in the dust might be due to its occasional usage, and isodrin may be a result of long-distance transport from other countries.