Environmental exposure to residues after aerial spraying of endosulfan: residues in cow milk, fish, water, soil and cashew leaf in Kasargode, Kerala, India

Abstract

A detailed study has been conducted to evaluate the residues of endosulfan and its principal metabolite (alpha-endosulfan, beta-endosulfan and endosulfan sulfate) which may have accumulated in environmental samples due to regular aerial spray application of endosulfan on cashew leaf plantation for a period of 20 years. Three months after the last spray of endosulfan 350 g litre-1 EC at 300 ml acre-1 (equivalent to 105 g AI acre-1 = 42.5 g ha-1), a total of 93 samples of cow milk, fish, water, soil and dried cashew leaf were collected from a village in Kasargode District, Kerala, India, where endosulfan contamination was likely to have occurred. All the samples were analyzed for total residues of endosulfan (comprising alpha- and beta-endosulfan), endosulfan sulfate and also the potential hydrolysis product endosulfan diol, using gas chromatography with electron capture detection. The minimum detection limits of total endosulfan was 0.001 microgram g-1. Analysis of soil samples showed the deposition of total endosulfan residues in the range < 0.001-0.010 microgram g-1, and dried leaf samples showed residues of endosulfan in the range < 0.001-3.43 micrograms g-1 dry weight. In cow milk, fish and water, endosulfan residues could not be detected above the minimum detection limit. Endosulfan diol was not observed in any sample. The data obtained was confirmed by GC-MS-EI using selective ion monitoring (SIM) mode.

Organochlorine Pesticides Residues in Bottled Drinking Water from Mexico City

“…The major toxicological concern regarding pesticides as contaminants of drinking water is the potential exposure of large populations to low concentrations over long periods of time. Of particular concern are substances that may be carcinogenic and those that have a tendency to bioaccumulate in the organs (Harrison et al 2000;Ramesh and Vijayalakshmi 2002).…”

Insecticides extraction from banana leaves using a modified QuEChERS method

“…As an example, Barriada-Pereira et al (2004) determined 21 organochlorine pesticides in chestnut (Castanea sativa), hazel (Corylus avellana), oak (Quercus robur) and walnut tree (Juglans regia) leaves, finding that LODs were in the range of 0.016-0.253 mg/kg. Ramesh & Vijayalakshmi (2002) studied the environmental exposure to residues after aerial spraying of endosulfan, evaluating its residues in cashew leaf besides cow milk, fish, water and soil. The results of this study showed a LOD of 0.001 mg/kg for the leaf sample.…”

“…This is the case of the extraction of organochlorine pesticides from chestnut (Castanea sativa), hazel (Corylus avellana), oak (Quercus robur) and walnut tree (Juglans regia) leaves ( Barriada-Pereira et al, 2004) or hexachlorohexane isomers from spinach and Withania somnifera (L.) and Ocimum sanctum Linn medicinal herbs (Abhilash et al, 2007), endosulfan and its metabolites from cashew (Ramesh & Vijayalakshmi, 2002) and tomato leaves (Castro et al, 2002), or pesticides belonging to different chemical classes from spent leaves (Kanrar et al, 2010).…”

“…In general terms, the analysis of pesticides in leaves (which has not been highly applied in the literature) requires a solid-liquid extraction assisted by either ultrasounds, microwaves or agitation followed by a clean-up step consisting in most cases in a solidphase extraction (SPE) procedure (Abhilash, Jamil, & Singh, 2007;Barriada-Pereira et al, 2004;Castro, Pérez, Miguel, Sán-chez-Brunete, & Tadeo, 2002;Kanrar, Mandal, & Bhattacharyya, 2010;Ramesh & Vijayalakshmi, 2002). This is the case of the extraction of organochlorine pesticides from chestnut (Castanea sativa), hazel (Corylus avellana), oak (Quercus robur) and walnut tree (Juglans regia) leaves ( Barriada-Pereira et al, 2004) or hexachlorohexane isomers from spinach and Withania somnifera (L.) and Ocimum sanctum Linn medicinal herbs (Abhilash et al, 2007), endosulfan and its metabolites from cashew (Ramesh & Vijayalakshmi, 2002) and tomato leaves (Castro et al, 2002), or pesticides belonging to different chemical classes from spent leaves (Kanrar et al, 2010).…”

Combined toxicity of endosulfan and ochratoxin-A in rats: histopathological changes

“…It has been enlisted as one of the persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that is largely used in agriculture, viticulture and horticulture [1]. Endosulfan contamination in blood, fat, milk, vegetables, cashew leaves, soil and water has been reported from Padre village of Kasargod district of Kerala, India [2,3]. It causes toxic effect on almost all the organs of both humans and animals including the liver, lung, central nervous system, genital system, pancreas etc [4].…”