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<p>Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are a group of synthetic molecules, consisting of organic structures containing at least one aromatic ring and one covalently bound chlorine atom, widely used for decades in agriculture (as insecticides and fungicides) and, subordinately, in the medical field.</p><p>The study area, corresponding to the Acerra-Marigliano conurbation, is located in the middle sector of the Campania Plain, a wide coastal belt roughly extending from the Garigliano River plain, in the northwest of the Campania region, to the Sarno River basin, southward of the volcanic complex of Mt. Somma-Vesuvius. Most of the study area is occupied by agricultural activities (crops, orchards and vineyard) and, subordinately, by industrial settlements and urbanized areas. A total of 33 surficial composite soil samples were collected across the study area, with an average density of 1 sample per 4 sqkm, to be analyzed for their OCPs content.</p><p>Compared to other synthetic organic pesticides, OCPs show greater environmental persistence and are generally characterized by a marked tendency towards bioaccumulation and biomagnification along trophic chains due to their lipophilic character. The covalent bond between carbon and chlorine in OCP molecules is very stable and resistant to microbial degradation, but some organisms and plants, together with some physical factors (including pH, solar radiation and humidity), can encourage their metabolic degradation.</p><p>The best-known OCP is certainly the dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT), which is one the OCPs defined as Persistent Organic Pollutants by the Stockholm Convention (2001), synthesized since 1873 and used as an insecticide and pesticide since the 1940s. DDT has been, and still is, used to combat malaria in some sensitive areas, such as Africa, India and South America, but its use has been banned in Italy since 1978. DDT can undergo degradation processes, including volatilization or photolysis, whose products are dichloro-diphenyl-dichloroethane and dichloro-diphenyl-dichloroethylene (DDD and DDE, respectively), two compounds with similar properties and, above all, highly persistent. The USEPA (2015) has classified DDT and its metabolites as probably carcinogenic substances for humans, also responsible for damage to the liver, reproductive system and nervous system.</p><p>This study aimed at investigating the local distribution, possible sources and contamination levels of DDT isomers and metabolites in the soils of the study area. In particular, we considered six compounds: p,p′-DDT; o,p′-DDT; p,p′-DDD; o,p′-DDD; p,p′-DDE and o,p′-DDE. Concentration of ΣDDTs (i.e. the sum of the six compounds) ranges from a minimum of 4.13 ng/g to a maximum of 734.75 ng/g.</p><p>The Italian decree 46/2019 establishes a guideline value for DDE, DDD and DDT concentrations in agricultural soils of 10 ng/g. This value is largely exceeded in the whole study area as regards p,p′-DDT and p,p′-DDE, for which the average concentration resulted equal to 70.37 ng/g and 75.94 ng/g, respectively.</p><p>O,p′-DDD and o,p′-DDE show very low concentrations throughout the study area with average concentrations of 1.44 ng/g and 0.75 ng/g, respectively; o,p′-DDT (mean = 5.67 ng/g) and p,p′-DDD (mean = 6.24 ng/g) overcome the guideline mostly in soils collected in the surrounding areas of the towns of Acerra, Brusciano and Marigliano.</p>

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<abstract> <p>Epidemiological and environmental studies demonstrated that the rate of cancer mortality in the Acerra area, better known as "Triangle of Death", and, more in general, in the Neapolitan metropolitan territory are higher than the regional average values. In the "Triangle of Death" the higher rate of mortality has been mostly related to the presence of toxic wastes illegally buried in agricultural areas which have been contaminating soils and groundwater for decades. Thus, collecting a total of 154 samples over an area of about 100 km², a detailed study was carried out to assess the geochemical-environmental conditions of soils aiming at defining the environmental hazard proceeding from 15 potentially toxic elements (PTEs), 9 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and 14 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) related with soil contamination. The study was also targeted at discriminating the contamination sources of these pollutants. Results showed that 9 PTEs, 5 PAHs and 6 OCPs are featured by concentrations higher than the guideline values established by the Italian Environmental laws, especially in the proximities of inhabited centers and industrial areas. The contamination source analysis revealed that, as regards the concentrations of chemical elements, they have a dual origin due to both the natural composition of the soils (Co-Fe-V-Tl-Be) and the pressure exerted on the environment by anthropic activities such as vehicular traffic (Pb-Zn-Sb-Sn) and agricultural practices (Cu-P). As far as organic compounds are concerned, the source of hydrocarbons can be mainly attributed to the combustion of biomass (i.e., grass, wood and coal), while for pesticides, although the use of some of them has been prohibited in Italy since the 1980s, it has been found that they are still widely used by local farmers.</p> </abstract>