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Occurrence of organochlorine pesticides in a tropical lake basin

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Abstract

This study investigates the presence and distribution of organochlorine pesticides in streams and the lake in the Sembrong Lake Basin in Malaysia. The catchment of Sembrong Lake has been converted to agricultural areas over the past 30 years, with oil palm plantations and modern agricultural farming being the main land use. Surface water samples were collected from eight sites comprising the stream and lake and analysed for 19 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs). In situ measurement of temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH and conductivity were also undertaken at each site. Aldrin, endrin, δ-BHC, 4,4-DDT, methoxychlor and endosulfan were the main OCPs detected in the lake basin. The total OCP concentration ranged between 5.42 and 349.2 ng/L. The most frequently detected OCPs were δ-BHC, heptachlor and aldrin. The maximum values detected were 23.0, 43.2 and 50.4 ng/L respectively. The highest concentration of OCPs was attributed to 4,4-DDT, but such high residue was rare and only detected once. Other OCP residues were low. Significant differences in the mean values were observed between lake and stream for dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) and α-endosulfan concentration (p < 0.05). The highest endosulfan, endrin and methoxychlor residues were found in lake sites, while the highest 4,4,-DDT residues were observed for the river sites. Temporal variation of OCP residues was observed for heptachlor and β-endosulfan. The highest concentrations of pesticide residues were found in October. DDX and α/ɣ ratios indicate possible fresh inputs of the OCP pesticide in the basin.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment funding (P9500000421). The authors would like to thank M. Azril Hilmi Shapiai, A. Taqiyuddin, A. Zaki, M. Hafiz Zulkifli and Nur Hishaam Sulaiman for their support in the field. Special appreciations to Datuk Ir Dr. Azuhan Mohamed and Datuk A. Jamalluddin Shaaban for their management support on the work. The authors thank the two anonymous reviewers for their useful comments to improve the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lake Research Unit, Water Quality and Environment Research Centre, National Hydraulic Research Institute of Malaysia (NAHRIM), Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Seri Kembangan, Selangor, Malaysia

    Zati Sharip

  2. Water Quality Laboratory, NAHRIM, Seri Kembangan, Selangor, Malaysia

    Norbaya Hashim

  3. Consultanting Hydrogeologist, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia

    Saim Suratman

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  1. Zati Sharip
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  2. Norbaya Hashim
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Correspondence to Zati Sharip.

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Sharip, Z., Hashim, N. & Suratman, S. Occurrence of organochlorine pesticides in a tropical lake basin. Environ Monit Assess 189, 560 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-017-6274-y

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