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Occurrence of Pesticide Residues in Lebanon’s Water Resources

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Abstract

Contamination of water sources by pesticides is one of the most critical environmental problems. The present work is designed to address the occurrence of 67 pesticides in the Lebanese waters. Chemical analysis was performed by a solid-phase extraction followed by a gas chromatography–mass spectrometry using programmed temperature vaporization injection. In drinking water and groundwater samples, organochlorine and organophosphate pesticides were frequently detected with a maximal sum concentration of up to 31.8 ng L−1. High pesticide ecotoxicological risk was noticed in many surface waters, while this risk was driven mainly by diazinon, chlorpyrifos, fenpropathrin and bifenthrin insecticides.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Lebanese National Council for Scientific Research CNRSL, the Lebanese Atomic Energy Commission LAEC, the Lebanese University UL and Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie AUF for the financial and technical support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Analysis of Pesticides and Organic Pollutants Laboratory (LAPPO), Lebanese Atomic Energy Commission (LAEC), National Council for Scientific Research (CNRS), Beirut, Lebanon

    Abir Kouzayha, Mohamad Al Iskandarani & Farouk Jaber

  2. Laboratory of Analysis of Organic Compounds (509), Faculty of Sciences I, Lebanese University, Hadath, Beirut, Lebanon

    Aisha Al Ashi, Rami Al Akoum & Farouk Jaber

  3. Laboratory of Physico- and Toxico-Chemistry, Université Bordeaux 1, CNRS, EPOC-LPTC-UMR 5805, 351 Cours de la Libération, 33405, Talence, France

    Hélène Budzinski

Authors
  1. Abir Kouzayha
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  2. Aisha Al Ashi
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  3. Rami Al Akoum
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  4. Mohamad Al Iskandarani
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  5. Hélène Budzinski
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  6. Farouk Jaber
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Correspondence to Farouk Jaber.

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Kouzayha, A., Al Ashi, A., Al Akoum, R. et al. Occurrence of Pesticide Residues in Lebanon’s Water Resources. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 91, 503–509 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-013-1071-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-013-1071-y

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