Distribution and behaviour of persistent organochlorine insecticides in paddy soil and sediments in the tropical environment: a case study in South India

Paddy soil and sediment samples collected from the Vellar River watershed, Tamil Nadu state, South India from December, 1987 to January, 1989 were analysed to understand the comprehensive behaviour of organochlorine insecticides (HCH and DDT) in the tropical environment. HCH (BHC) showed higher levels in soil during wet season, reflecting the application of technical HCH largely during the flowering season of rice. On the other hand, DDT residues were low and did not show a significant seasonal trend in soil or sediment, indicating small quantities of DDT utilized at present for agricultural purposes in India. When compared to soil, the residue levels in sediments are low and the seasonal variation is less pronounced. This indicates that in tropical watersheds, the relative flux of residues into the aquatic environment is smaller than the amount volatilized to the atmosphere.     

Contribution of motor vehicle emissions to organic carbon and fine particle mass in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Effects of varying source profiles and seasonal trends in ambient marker concentrations

We present estimates of the vehicular contribution to ambient organic carbon (OC) and fine particle mass (PM) in Pittsburgh, PA using the chemical mass balance (CMB) model and a large dataset of ambient molecular marker concentrations. Source profiles for CMB analysis are selected using a method of comparing the ambient ratios of marker species with published profiles for gasoline and diesel vehicle emissions. The ambient wintertime data cluster on a hopanes/EC ratio–ratio plot, and therefore can be explained by a large number of different source profile combinations. In contrast, the widely varying summer ambient ratios can be explained by a more limited number of source profile combinations. We present results for a number of different CMB scenarios, all of which perform well on the different statistical tests used to establish the quality of a CMB solution. The results illustrate how CMB estimates depend critically on the marker-to-OC and marker-to-PM ratios of the source profiles. The vehicular contribution in the winter is bounded between 13% and 20% of the ambient OC (274±56–416±72 ng-C m⁻³). However, variability in the diesel profiles creates uncertainty in the gasoline–diesel split. On an OC basis, one set of scenarios suggests gasoline dominance, while a second set indicates a more even split. On a PM basis, all solutions indicate a diesel-dominated split. The summer CMB solutions do not present a consistent picture given the seasonal shift and wide variation in the ambient hopanes-to-EC ratios relative to the source profiles. If one set of source profiles is applied to the entire dataset, gasoline vehicles dominate vehicular OC in the winter but diesel dominates in the summer. The seasonal pattern in the ambient hopanes-to-EC ratios may be caused by photochemical decay of hopanes in the summer or by seasonal changes in vehicle emission profiles.     

Organochlorine Residues in Coastal Birds From the Vellar River Watershed Areas,Parangipettai, Southern India

Organochlorine contaminants (HCHs, DDTs and PCBs) in the muscle tissues of 12 bird species collected from Vellar River watershed areas (S. India) were determined. the accumulation pattern of organochlorine residues in birds of different feeding groups for HCHs and PCBs was: scavengers > inland piscivores > coastal piscivores > insectivores. the pattern for DDTs was: coastal piscivores > scavengers > insectivores > inland piscivores. Scavengers accumulated all the three organochlorines to a higher degree than the other groups of birds. Marked variations in the accumulation pattern by different species and individuals of birds to the same and different organochlorine residues were observed. the differences in the accumulation pattern of residues in different species of birds with similar feeding habits could be attributed to different feeding areas and because migrants are exposed to contaminants in different geographical locations. HCH residues were generally found in higher concentrations than DDTs, reflecting increasing use of HCH pesticides since banning of DDT for agriculture. Levels of PCBs were lower than in birds in developed countries. Results are discussed in relation to future pest control and industrialisation in India.     

Pesticide Residues in Water From River Kaveri,South India

The residue levels of presistent chlorinated pesticides such as HCH (hexachlorocyclo-hexane) isomers and DDT (dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane) compounds were quantified in water samples collected from the River Kaveri and its distributor River Coleroon in Tamil Nadu, South India. HCH showed higher levels in River Kaveri during premonsoon (July to September) and monsoon (October to December) months, reflecting the HCH usage during that season for paddy crops. But in the case of DDT no clear trend in residue level was observed. the α-HCH was detected as the dominant isomer in all the three sampling sites. Among DDT compounds, p,p'-DDT and p,p'-DDE showed higher percentage of the total. International comparison of residue levels revealed that the present values are comparable to the waters from Asian and South East Asian nations, but lower than some samples from other parts of India. the value of DDT is well below the EEC's maximum acceptable concentration for surface waters and lower than the recommended limit of 2000ng 1^-1 in USA water for protection of aquatic life (Water Quality Criteria, 1972).     

Butyltin compounds and organochlorine residues in green mussel (Perna viridis L.) from India

Butyltin compounds (BTs) and organochlorine residues (OCs) were determined in green mussel (Perna viridis L.) collected along the coastal waters of India in 1994 and 1995 to elucidate their contamination levels and distribution. BTs were detected in all of the mussel samples, ranging from 2 to 378 ng/g wet wt, which indicated that BTs are widely distributed, with elevated concentrations in intense boating areas. BTs concentrations in green mussels were lower than those reported for developed nations as well as developing countries such as Thailand. Concentrations of OCs were much lower than those of BTs. Among OCs examined, DDTs were found to be greatest, followed by HCHs, PCBs, CHLs and HCB. Considering the fact that the usage of tributyltin (TBT), DDTs and HCHs are not controlled in India, their contamination in the aquatic environment may increase unless regulatory measures are imposed. To our knowledge, this is a first report on the detection of BTs in Indian mussels.     

Seasonal variations of organochlorine insecticide residues in air from Porto Novo, South India

Air samples collected from Porto Novo (11 degrees 29' N, 79 degrees 46' E), Tamil Nadu State, South India from December, 1987 to January, 1989 were analysed to determine the seasonal variations of the levels of organochlorine insecticides such as HCH (BHC) and DDT. Both these insecticides showed higher levels from August to January, although this trend was more marked in HCH than DDT, reflecting the application of HCH largely, and probably small quantities of DDT during the flowering season of rice. The alpha-HCH was detected as a dominant isomer for all seasons monitored followed by gamma-HCH. Among DDT compounds, p,p'-DDT was the highest except in dry season (January to April) when p,p-DDE showed higher percentage. The levels and percentage composition of these insecticides recorded in the present study may aid in interpreting the role of a 'point source' area since India is one of the countries still using the persistent organochlorine pesticides in large quantities.     

Organic matter and amino acid concentrations in surface sediments of Vembanad Lake – a tropical estuary, west coast of India

The surface sediments of Vembanad Lake, a tropical estuary on the west coast of India, were analyzed for carbon (TC, TOC, TIC), nitrogen (TN), amino acids and two amino sugars. C/N ratios for the surface sediments vary from 1.0–21.8, indicating terrestrial sources of organic matter. Various biogeochemical indicators based on amino acids such as Asp/β-ala and Glu/γ-aba ratios revealed that the organic matter in the 5- to 10-cm surface sediments was fresh and had not undergone extensive degradation. However, the Gluam/Galam ratio for surface sediments of Vembanad Lake varies from 0.4–2.1, indicating the dominance of bacterial biomass in the sediments. Organic matter in the sediments was found to be highly reactive, with a reactivity index ranging from 2.4–7.4, suggesting rapid remineralization. Electronic Publication     

Structural Elucidation and Immunostimulatory Activities of Quinoa Non-starch Polysaccharide Before and After Deproteinization

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - Non-starch polysaccharides derived from natural resources play a significant role in the field of food science and human health due to their extensive...     

The way forward to sustain environmental quality through sustainable sand mining and the use of manufactured sand as an alternative to natural sand

Environmental Science and Pollution Research -