Monitoring of pesticides water pollution-The Egyptian River Nile

• Published in: Journal of environmental health science and engineering Vol. 14; no. 1; p. 15
• Main Authors: Dahshan, Hesham, Megahed, Ayman Mohamed, Abd-Elall, Amr Mohamed Mohamed, Abd-El-Kader, Mahdy Abdel-Goad, Nabawy, Ehab, Elbana, Mariam Hassan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BioMed Central 07.10.2016; BioMed Central Ltd
• Subjects: Earth and Environmental Science; Environment; Environmental aspects; Environmental Economics; Environmental engineering; Environmental Engineering/Biotechnology; Environmental Health; Environmental Law/Policy/Ecojustice; Environmental monitoring; Methods; Pesticides; Quality of Life Research; Research Article; Waste Management/Waste Technology; Egypt; River Nile; Organophosphorus pesticides; Monitoring; Organochlorine pesticides; Human hazardous risk
• ISSN: 2052-336X; 2052-336X
• DOI: 10.1186/s40201-016-0259-6

Background Persistent organic pollutants represent about 95 % of the industrial sector effluents in Egypt. Contamination of the River Nile water with various pesticides poses a hazardous risk to both human and environmental compartments. Therefore, a large scale monitoring study was carried on pesticides pollution in three geographical main regions along the River Nil water stream, Egypt. Methods Organochlorine and organophosphorus pesticides were extracted by liquid-liquid extraction and analyzed by GC-ECD. Results Organochlorine pesticides mean concentrations along the River Nile water samples were 0.403, 1.081, 1.209, 3.22, and 1.192 μg L −1 for endrin, dieldrin, p, p’-DDD, p, p’-DDT, and p, p’-DDE, respectively. Dieldrin, p, p’-DDT, and p, p’-DDE were above the standard guidelines of the World Health Organization. Detected organophosphorus pesticides were Triazophos (2.601 μg L −1 ), Quinalphos (1.91 μg L −1 ), fenitrothion (1.222 μg L −1 ), Ethoprophos (1.076 μg L −1 ), chlorpyrifos (0.578 μg L −1 ), ethion (0.263 μg L −1 ), Fenamiphos (0.111 μg L −1 ), and pirimiphos-methyl (0.04 μg L −1 ). Toxicity characterization of organophosphorus pesticides according to water quality guidelines indicated the hazardous risk of detected chemicals to the public and to the different environmental compartments. The spatial distribution patterns of detected pesticides reflected the reverse relationship between regional temperature and organochlorine pesticides distribution. However, organophosphorus was distributed according to the local inputs of pollutant compounds. Conclusions Toxicological and water quality standards data revealed the hazardous risk of detected pesticides in the Egyptian River Nile water to human and aquatic life. Thus, our monitoring data will provide viewpoints by which stricter legislation and regulatory controls can be admitted to avoid River Nile pesticide water pollution.