Chengkai Qu

Organochlorine pesticide residues in surface water from Sichuan Basin to Aba Prefecture profile, east of the Tibetan Plateau

Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) found in rivers from the Sichuan Basin to Aba Prefecture profile were analyzed to assess possible health risks to adults and children who use the river as a source of drinking water. OCP concentrations in surface water ranged between 22.29–274.28 ng·L−1. Compared with other published data around the world, OCP levels in this study were moderate. Among all OCPs, hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) were the predominant compounds. Higher concentrations of OCPs were attributed close to the agricultural fields of the Sichuan Basin, current OCPs inputs, and long-range atmospheric transport from abroad. Various spatial patterns of OCPs in the profile might be affected by the usage and physicochemical properties of the pesticides, in addition to the adjacent geographical environment. The health risk assessment indicated that most OCPs had little impact on human health according to the acceptable risk level for carcinogens (10−6) recommended by the US EPA. However, carcinogenic effects caused by heptachlor, Aldrin, HCB, and α-HCH might occur in drinking water. The risk of negative impacts caused by OCPs is much higher for children than for adults.

Chapter 20 – Polyurethane Foam-Based Passive Air Samplers in Monitoring Persistent Organic Pollutants: Theory and Application

Abstract This chapter reviews the principles of passive air sampler (PAS) techniques and progress of the polyurethane foam-based PAS (PUF-PAS) in monitoring persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from a local to global scale. The calibration method of the site-specific sampling rate (Rs) on the basis of the loss of depuration compounds from the PUF disk is explained, and the factors (i.e., temperature, wind speed, and atmospheric particles) that influence Rs are also discussed. A case history is presented to help explain the atmospheric transport of organochlorine pesticides from plain to mountain, as well as to demonstrate the feasibility of using PUF-PAS for achieving spatially and seasonally resolved data for POPs. And lastly, the future research prospects in the development and application of PUF-PAS is discussed.

Legacies of Organochlorine Pesticides (OCPs) in Soil of China—A Review, and Cases in Southwest and Southeast China

Abstract China has a history of intensive application and production of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) between the 1950s and the 1980s for agricultural use and vector control. Since the early 1980s, China began to ban the agricultural use of OCPs and then signed the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in 2001. By 2009, most OCPs were eliminated for their production and use in China except for emergency cases. However, in recent years, residual OCPs have been detected in various environmental media, in large quantities in some areas. Therefore, this chapter briefly explains the origin and fate of OCPs in the environment and reviews the historical use of OCPs and their residual distribution in soil of China. Further, it reports case studies on the OCP distributions and some related influencing factors in the soils of the southwestern and southeastern parts of China.