Assessment of priority pesticides, degradation products, and pesticide adjuvants in groundwaters and top soils from agricultural areas of the Ebro river basin.
Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) was employed for the determination of 30 widely used pesticides including various transformation products and alkylphenols in water and agricultural soils with the aim of assessing the impact of these compounds in agricultural soils and the underlying aquifer. The extraction, clean-up, and analytical procedures were optimized for both water and soil samples to provide a highly robust method capable of determining target analytes at the ppb-ppt level with high precision. For water samples, different solid-phase extraction cartridges and conditions were optimized; similarly, pressurized liquid extraction conditions were tested to provide interference-free extracts and high sensitivity. Instrumental LODs of 3-4 pg were obtained. The multi-residue extraction procedures were applied to the analysis of groundwaters and agricultural soils from the Ebro river basin (NE Spain). Most ubiquitous herbicides detected were triazines but some acetanilides and organophosphorus pesticides were also found; the pesticide additive tributylphosphate was found in all water samples. Levels varied between 0.57 and 5.37 microg/L in groundwater, whereas nonylphenol was the sole compound detected in soil. Alkylphenols are used as adjuvants in pesticide formulations and are present in sludges employed as soil fertilizers. Occurrence was found to be similar to other environmental studies.
Hildebrandt
Alain
A
Department of Environmental Chemistry, IIQAB - CSIC, Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain.
Lacorte
Sílvia
S
Barceló
Damià
D
D000277:Adjuvants, Pharmaceutic / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D000383:Agriculture; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D002627:Chemistry, Physical; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000737:chemistry*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D010575:Pesticides / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D018570:Risk Assessment; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D013030:Spain; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry
D000277:Adjuvants, Pharmaceutic; D010575:Pesticides; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical