Level, source, and distribution of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in agricultural soils of Tanzania
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Date
2022
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Springer
Abstract
This study investigated the level, com-
position, and spatial and vertical distribution of the
organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) at 0–2 cm and
2–20 cm in the agricultural surface soils from South-
eastern to Central-western Tanzania. Although the
most abundant OCPs were DDT with a mean concen-
tration of 2.29 ng/g, dieldrin (1.57 ng/g), and methox-
ychlor (0.79 ng/g), HCH was the most dominant (with
detection frequency of 88%). OCP dominance was in
the Southern Highlands, which is the most productive
agricultural zone. Though there were indicators of recent inputs for some sites, OCP contamination was
mainly historical. DDT contamination was dominated
by p,p′-DDE and resulted from both technical DDT
and dicofol while HCH contamination was dominated
by γ-HCH and resulted from both technical HCH and
lindane. Based on depth, the OCPs dominated mainly
the upper 2 cm, which was associated with soil and
environmental factors rather than recent inputs since
most of the detected compounds were historical. Nev-
ertheless, some sites showed exceptional high abun-
dance in the lower soil with more concentration of
parent compounds. Therefore, this study recommends
the need for further studies on the influence of soil
properties on OCPs’ transport in the soil, surface
water, and air. Besides, detection of recent inputs at
some sites calls for more mapping of the OCPs in the
country to strengthen their control and prevention of
future risks.
Description
Environ Monit Assess (2022) 194:19
Keywords
Organochlorine pesticides, Distribution, Agricultural soil, Tanzania