Assessment of organochlorine pesticide residues in soils and drinking water sources from cocoa farms in Ghana

Abstract

Residues of organochlorine pesticides were determined in soils and drinking water sources in cocoa growing areas in Ghana. Soil samples analysed showed the presence of four organochlorine pesticide residues namely lindane (0.005–0.05 mg/kg), beta-HCH (<0.01–0.05 mg/kg), dieldrin (0.005–0.02 mg/kg), and p,p′-DDT (0.005–0.04 mg/kg), with dieldrin occurring most frequently. Similarly, organochlorine pesticide residues detected in the water samples were lindane (0.01–0.03 µg/l), alpha-endosulfan (0.01–0.03 µg/l), endosulfan-sulphate (0.01–0.04 µg/l), dieldrin (0.01–0.03 µg/l) and p,p′-DDT (0.01–0.04 µg/l), with heptachlor occurring most frequently. The concentrations of the detected organochlorine residues in the soil samples were below their respective US maximum residues limits (MRLs) for agricultural soils, except for lindane recorded at Kwakuanya (S4) and beta-HCH recorded at Krakrom (S3) and Kwakuanya (S4). Similarly, the organochlorine pesticide residues recorded in the water samples were below and within their respective WHO MRLs for drinking water except for alpha-endosulfan at Diabaa (S2) and Kwakuanya (S4) at distance 0–15 m and Kwakuanya (S4) at distance 16–30 m, endosulfan-sulfate at Nkrankwanta (S1) and Diabaa (S2) at distance 0–15 m and heptachlor at Krakrom (S3) at distance 16–30 m which were above their WHO MRLs. The presence of the banned organochlorine pesticide residues in soil and water samples from the study area indicates that these chemicals are still being used, illegally, on some cocoa farms. Routine monitoring of pesticide residues in the study area is necessary for the prevention, control and reduction of environmental pollution to minimize health risks.

Multi-residue Analysis of Organochlorine Pesticides in Cocoa Beans (Theobroma cacao) and Soils from Ondo, Nigeria

“…The range of the percentage organic carbon content of the analyzed soil samples was higher than 0.44-0.9% reported by Bentum et al, [15], who considered the result of their findings, in the top soils of some cocoa growing areas in five districts of the central region of Ghana, to be very low. However, our values were lower than 0.8-6.12% and 1.54-10.6% reported for organic carbon and organic matter in soils from a cocoa farm in Ghana [14]. Table 4 shows that fifteen different pesticide residues were detected in the cocoa samples while Table 5 presents the results of the OCPs in the soil.…”

“…The pH values in the various farms in our study were mostly acidic compared to 7.34-8.46 reported in four cocoa farms in Ghana [14]. The result of the percentage particle size composition of the soil samples showed that the soils were characterized by high sand contents with overall range of 68.84-73.58%, the clay composition ranged from 14.56% to 16.64% and the slit content of the soils were in the range 11.86% to 15.62%.…”

Food safety in Thailand 6: How to eat guava fruits safely? Effects of washing and peeling on removing pesticide residues in guava fruits

“…This difference is likely to be due the fact that DDT was banned in Thailand for almost 30 years, and also in Egypt but the potatoes are tuberous plants growing under the ground whereas the guava fruits are produced from a tree. It has been demonstrated that even when DDT was withdrawn from markets for a long time afterwards residues of DDT isomers and its metabolites are still frequently detected in the environmental regions such as soils, sediments and surface water (Fosu‐Mensah, Okoffo, Darko, & Gordon, ; Ma et al, ; Mansouri et al, ). In Thailand, DDT and its metabolites were scarcely detected in fruits and vegetables.…”

Multi-Residue Levels of Persistent Organochlorine Pesticides in Edible Vegetables: A Human Health Risk Assessment

“…It is indigenous to West Africa and mostly found within cocoa farms in South-western Nigeria. Insect pests and diseases pose a major challenge to the production of crop including cocoa, resulting in adverse consequences of the economy [7], particularly food insecurity.…”