Abstract
The residues of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in 19 surface sediments of Bohai Sea Bay were determined in this study. Total OCP concentration in surface sediment ranged from 9.01 to 18.04 ng/g dry weight, with a mean concentration of 12.50 ng/g. These findings are in the mid-range of pesticide concentrations compared to those reported in other regions worldwide. DDTs and HCHs were the predominant species. The α-HCH/β-HCH ratios and the predominant γ-HCH indicate that the technical HCH contamination was due mainly to historical usage, although there appeared to be a fresh input of lindane. The results from \(\left( {\mbox{DDD}\,\mbox{+}\,\mbox{DDE}} \right)\mbox{/}\sum {\mbox{DDTs}} \) and DDD/DDE calculations suggest that the usage of DDT in agricultural activities was not terminated, and the historical/fresh inputs of DDT in these areas could be more easily degraded into DDD under an anoxic condition. PCA implies that the recent usage of DDT could serve as important fresh input sources for OCPs.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Barakat, A. O., Kim, M., Qian, Y., & Wade, T. L. (2002). Organochlorine pesticides and PCB residues in sediments of Alexandria Harbour, Egypt. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 44, 1421–1434.
Bhattacharya, B., Sarkarb, S. K., & Mukherjee, N. (2003). Organochlorine pesticide residues in sediments of a tropical mangrove estuary, India: implications for monitoring. Environment International, 29, 587–592.
Doong, R., Sun, Y., Liao, P., Peng, C., & Wu, S. (2002). Distribution and fate of organochlorine pesticide residues in sediments from the selected rivers in Taiwan. Chemosphere, 48, 237–246.
Gong, X., Qi, S., Wang, Y., Julia, E. B., & Lv, C. (2007). Historical contamination and sources of organochlorine pesticides in sediment cores from Quanzhou Bay, Southeast China. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 54, 1434–1440.
Hitch, R. K., & Day, H. R., (1992). Unusual persistence of DDT in some western USA soils. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxology, 48, 259–264.
Hu, L., Zhang, G., Zheng, B., Qin, Y., Lin, T., & Guo, Z. (2009). Occurrence and distribution of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in surface sediments of the Bohai Sea, China. Chemosphere, 77, 663–672.
Khim, J. S., Lee, K. T., Kannan, K., Villeneuve, D. L., Giesy, J. P., & Koh, C. H. (2001). Trace organic contaminants in sediment and water from Ulsan bay and its vicinity, Korea. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 40, 141–150.
Kim, Y., Eun, H., Katase, T., & Fujiwara, H. (2007). Vertical distributions of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) caused from organochlorine pesticides in a sediment core taken from Ariake bay, Japan. Chemosphere, 67, 456–463.
Lee, K. T., Tanabe, S., & Koh, C. H. (2001). Distribution of organochlorine pesticides in sediments from Kyeonggi gay and nearby area, Korea. Environmental Pollution, 114, 207–213.
Liu, W. X., Chen, J. L., Lin, X. M., & Tao, S. (2006). Distribution and characteristics of organic micropollutants in surface sediments from Bohai Sea. Environmental Pollution, 140, 4–8.
Liu, M., Cheng, S., Ou, D., Yang, Y., Liu, H., Hou, L. et al. (2008). Organochlorine pesticides in surface sediments and suspended particulate matters from the Yangtze estuary, China. Environmental Pollution, 156, 168–173.
Tan, L., He, M., Men, B., & Lin, C. (2009). Distribution and sources of organochlorine pesticides in water and sediments from Daliao River estuary of Liaodong Bay, Bohai Sea (China). Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 84, 119–127.
Wan, Y., Hu, J., Liu, J., An, W., Tao, S., & Jia, Z. (2005). Fate of DDT-related compounds in Bohai Bay and its adjacent Haihe Basin, North China. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 50, 439–445.
Wang, Z., Yan, W., Chi, J., & Zhang, G. (2008). Spatial and vertical distribution of organochlorine pesticides in sediments from Daya Bay, South China. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 56, 1578–1585.
Wurl, O., & Obbard, J. P. (2005). Organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers in Singapore’s coastal marine sediments. Chemosphere, 58, 925–933.
Yang, R., Lv, A. b., Shi, J., & Jiang, G. (2005). The levels and distribution of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in sediments from the Haihe River, China. Chemosphere, 61, 347–354.
Zhou, R., Zhu, L., Yang, K., & Chen, Y. (2006). Distribution of organochlorine pesticides in surface water and sediments from Qiantang River, East China. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 137, 68–75.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Liu, Y., Song, C., Li, Y. et al. The distribution of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in surface sediments of Bohai Sea Bay, China. Environ Monit Assess 184, 1921–1927 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-011-2089-4
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-011-2089-4