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Residues of Atrazine andN-deethylated Atrazine in water from five agricultural watersheds in Québec

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Abstract

Atrazine (2-chloro-4-ethylamino-6-isopropylamino-s-triazine) andN-deethylated atrazine (2-chloro-4-amino-6-isopropylamino-s-triazine) were monitored (1974 and 1975) in five rivers which drained agricultural areas in the Yamaska river basin of Québec. Water samples were collected frequently from April to December each year from sites near the outflow of each river. The water samples were extracted with benzene, chloroform, or ethyl acetate and the extracts were analyzed by gas chromatography using a Hall electrolytic conductivity detector and an alkali-flame detector.

Atrazine andN-deethylated atrazine residues ranged in concentration from 0.01 to 26.9 μg/L and <0.01 to 1.34 μg/L, respectively, over the monitoring period. The highest levels of atrazine were observed in July each year and they coincided with the herbicide spraying season in this region and with occasional heavy rainfall events. Discharges (kg/yr) of atrazine from the five rivers were related to corn-growing area in each watershed. Losses of atrazine ranged from 0.1 to 2.9% of the atrazine that was estimated to have been applied in each watershed.

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Author notes

  1. Derek C. G. Muir

    Present address: Department of Fisheries & the Environment, Freshwater Institute, 501 University Crescent, R3T 2N6, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agricultural Chemistry and Physics, Macdonald College of McGill University, Macdonald College, Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Québec, Canada HOA 1CO

    Derek C. G. Muir, Jai Y. Yoo & Bruce E. Baker

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  1. Derek C. G. Muir
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  2. Jai Y. Yoo
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  3. Bruce E. Baker
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Muir, D.C.G., Yoo, J.Y. & Baker, B.E. Residues of Atrazine andN-deethylated Atrazine in water from five agricultural watersheds in Québec. Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 7, 221–235 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02332051

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