Organochlorine pesticides in the lower reaches of Yangtze River: occurrence, ecological risk and temporal trends

Residues of 24 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) including DDT metabolites were investigated in the water and surface sediments from the lower reaches of the Yangtze River to evaluate their pollution and potential risks. Concentrations of OCP residues (ΣOCP₂₄ ranged from 3.07 to 23.70 ng/L in water and 0.67 to 58.80 ng/g dw in sediments) were generally within safe levels, while adverse biological effects are likely from DDT pollution in the lower reaches. HCH and DDT residues dominated the OCPs. High detection rates but low concentrations of some other OCPs, such as chlordane and endosulfan, were detected in both water and sediments. The HCH and DDT residues in the lower reaches primarily originated from historical use of technical HCH and DDT, although additional sources of lindane and dicofol existed in the region. Temporal trends of pesticide contamination levels indicated that HCH concentrations have decreased over the past decades. However, there was no obvious trend of declining DDT concentrations in the sediments from the Yangtze River. The DDT metabolites, DDMU (bis (chlorophenyl)-1-chloroethylene), DBP (dichlorobenzophenone) and DDM (bis (chlorophenyl) methane), were also investigated for the first time in water and sediments from the Yangtze River.