Levels and seasonal variations of organochlorine pesticides in urban and rural background air of southern Ghana.

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Authors

ADU-KUMI S. KAREŠ Radovan LITERÁK Jaromír BORŮVKOVÁ Jana YEBOAH P.O. CARBOO D. AKOTO O. DARKO G. OSAE S. KLÁNOVÁ Jana

Year of publication 2012
Type Article in Periodical
Magazine / Source Environmental Science and Pollution Research
MU Faculty or unit

Faculty of Science

Citation
Doi http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11356-012-1013-y
Field Air pollution and control
Keywords Organochlorine pesticides; OCPs; Ambient air; Passive air sampling; Ghana; Africa; DDT; Endosulfan
Description Urban, suburban and rural background air samples were collected in southern Ghana in 2008 employing polyurethane foam disc passive air samplers (PAS). PAS were analysed for organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), namely hexachlorocyclohexanes (alpha-, beta-, gamma- and delta-hexachlorocyclohexane), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane including metabolites (o,p'- and p,p'-DDT, DDE and DDD), hexachlorobenzene, pentachlorobenzene, aldrin, dieldrin, endrins (endrin, endrin aldehyde and endrin ketone), isodrin, heptachlors (heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide A and heptachlor epoxide B), chlordanes (alpha-, beta-chlordane, oxychlordane and trans-nonachlor), endosulfans (alpha- and beta-endosulfan and endosulfan sulphate), methoxychlor and mirex using a gas chromatograph coupled to a mass spectrometer. The levels of OCPs ranged for the individual pesticides from below limit of quantification to 750 pg m(-3) (for alpha-endosulfan), and current agricultural application seemed to be the main primary source of most abundant pesticides. Re-volatilization of previously used pesticides from contaminated soils could not be ruled out either as potential secondary source of contamination, especially in warm and dry seasons and periods of intensive agricultural activities. Higher atmospheric concentrations were observed in November and December during the dry season compared to lower concentrations observed in June, July and August when the country experiences heavy rains. The highest seasonal variation was observed for currently used pesticides as alpha-endosulfan. A p,p'-DDT/p,p'-DDE ratio suggested recent inputs of fresh technical DDT.
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