Residues of organochlorine and organophosphorus pesticides in sugarcane crop soils and river water

The presence of residual organochlorine and organophosphorus pesticides was evaluated at different periods of sugarcane cultivation in agricultural soil and water samples from the town of Tlaltizapan, which is located in the state of Morelos in Mexico, to determine the presence and persistence of these compounds and their possible effects on the region. The compounds p,p′-DDE, p,p′-DDD (metabolites of p,p′-DDT), γ-HCH and heptachlor were found in more of 95% of the sampling zones in the three monitoring periods performed along 2 years. The highest concentration detected (129.6 μg/kg _{dry soil}) was for α-HCH, but its frequency of detection was ～5%. The low detection frequency of α-HCH and the high concentration values of γ-HCH indicate the repeated use of technical-grade HCH and Lindane (γ-HCH) in the region. Among the organophosphorus pesticides, ethyl parathion was the compound with the highest soil concentration, at ～2000 μg/kg_{dry soil}, during the initial monitoring. However, this compound was detected in the second monitoring with a concentration of ～4 μg/kg_{dry soil}, but it was not detected in the third, indicating that is was not accumulated in the environment. The heptachlor was the compound most commonly found in all water samples, within a range of 0.45–1.25 ng/L. The presence of this organochlorine compound in the water samples indicated a possible migration from the soil to water bodies due to soil erosion. The presence of organophosphorus compounds was not detected in the water samples, which could be attributed to the moderate persistence of these compounds and their consequent degradation before arriving at the water bodies.