ELISA as an Affordable Methodology for Monitoring Groundwater Contamination by Pesticides in Low-Income Countries

• Published in: Environmental science & technology Vol. 39; no. 11; pp. 3896 - 3903
• Main Authors: Brena, Beatriz M, Arellano, Lourdes, Rufo, Caterina, Last, Michael S, Montaño, Jorge, Cerni, Eduardo Egaña, Gonzalez-Sapienza, Gualberto, Last, Jerold A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Chemical Society 01.06.2005
• Subjects: Agriculture; Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Analysis methods; Applied sciences; Atrazine - analysis; Biological and medical sciences; Biopesticides; Carbaryl - analysis; Cities; Contamination; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay - methods; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Groundwater; Groundwaters; Herbicides - analysis; Methods; Naphthols - analysis; Natural water pollution; Pesticides; Pesticides - analysis; Pollution; Pollution, environment geology; Seasons; Soil and water pollution; Soil science; Uruguay; Vegetables - chemistry; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Water Pollutants, Chemical - toxicity; Water Supply; Water treatment and pollution; Montevideo Uruguay; Uruguay; South America; USA; Uruguay, Montevideo; Metabolite; Pesticides; Endocrine disruptor; Enzyme immunoassay; Surveillance; Water quality; Agriculture; Water pollution; Measurement method; Degradation product; ELISA assay; Organic compounds; Ground water
• ISSN: 0013-936X; 1520-5851
• DOI: 10.1021/es048620d

The traditional instrumental technology for pesticide residue analysis is too expensive and labor-intense to meet the regional needs concerning environmental monitoring. ELISA methodology was used for a pilot scale study of groundwater quality in an agricultural region a few kilometers southwest of Montevideo, the capital city of Uruguay. The study spanned 2 years and examined concentrations (detection limits are given in [ppb]) of two triazine herbicides (simazine [0.3] and atrazine [0.4]) and the carbamate insecticide carbaryl [10] and its major metabolite 1-naphthol [17]. In general, pesticide concentrations were below detection limits in the samples tested and in all cases were well below the maximum contaminant levels set by the U.S. EPA. 1-Naphthol was detected frequently by ELISA, but the assay may have tended to systematically overestimate this analyte. To our knowledge, this is the first study of its type in Uruguay and perhaps the first systematic approach to monitoring for organic pesticides in groundwater water sources in the temperate region of South America.