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Insecticide residues in soil and water in coastal areas of vegetable production in Togo

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Abstract

Some common organochlorine, organophosphorus and pyrethroid insecticides were analysed in agricultural soil samples (n = 35) and surface water and groundwater samples (n = 25) collected from coastal areas of vegetable production in Togo. Analytical methods included solvent extraction of the insecticide residues and their subsequent quantification using GC-ECD. δ-HCH, heptachlor epoxide, 4,4-DDE, endosulphan (α, β and sulphate), lambda-cyalothrin and chlorpyrifos were found in the soil samples with concentrations that varied from non-detectable (ND) to 26.93 μg kg−1 dry weight. For water samples, heptachlor epoxide, 2,4-DDD, 4,4-DDD, 4,4-DDE and endosulphan (α, β, and sulphate) were found at contamination levels that varied from ND to 0.116 μg L−1. The concentration of insecticide residues detected in the water samples was below the limits set by the World Health Organization (WHO) and also by the European Union (EU), with the exception of the concentration of endosulphan sulphate at the Aného site, which was 0.116 μg L−1.

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Acknowledgments

This study (Project ID 208) was funded and supported by the Agricultural Innovation Marketplace (www.mktplace.org), an international partnership to promote agricultural development in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. We thank farmers and extension staff for their help with sampling and the staff at Embrapa Western Agriculture and ESA-UL for their help and support in the insecticides residue analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unité de Recherche sur les Agroressources et la Santé Environnementale, Ecole Supérieure d’Agronomie, Université de Lomé, 1515, Lomé, Togo

    Gbénonchi Mawussi & Koffi-Kouma Akouété Alaté

  2. Embrapa Western Agriculture, PO BOX 449, Dourados, MS, Brazil

    Rômulo P. Scorza Júnior

  3. International Center for Soil Fertility and Agricultural Development (IFDC), 4483, Lomé, Togo

    Ekwe L. Dossa

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  1. Gbénonchi Mawussi
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  2. Rômulo P. Scorza Júnior
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  3. Ekwe L. Dossa
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  4. Koffi-Kouma Akouété Alaté
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Correspondence to Rômulo P. Scorza Júnior.

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Mawussi, G., Scorza Júnior, R.P., Dossa, E.L. et al. Insecticide residues in soil and water in coastal areas of vegetable production in Togo. Environ Monit Assess 186, 7379–7385 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-014-3934-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-014-3934-z

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