title: The legacy of organochlorine pesticide usage in a tropical semi-arid region (Jaguaribe River, Ceará, Brazil): Implications of the influence of sediment parameters on occurrence, distribution and fate.
abstract: Between the 1940s and 1990s, immeasurable amounts of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were used in endemic disease control campaigns and agriculture in the tropical semi-arid regions of Brazil. The present study evaluated the legacy of banned OCP usage, considering the levels, ecological risk and dependence on sediment physicochemical properties for the fate and distribution in the Jaguaribe River. The sum concentration of OCPs (ΣOCPs) ranged from 5.09 to 154.43 ng·g(-1), comparable to the levels found in other tropical and subtropical regions that have traditionally used OCPs. The environmental and geographical distribution pattern of p,p-DDT, p,p-DDD and p,p-DDE shows that the estuarine zone contained more than 3.5 times the levels observed in the fluvial region, indicating that the estuary of the Jaguaribe River is a sink. The temporal pattern indicates application of dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethanes (DDTs) in the past; however, there is evidence of recent input of these pesticides. High ecological risk was observed for levels of γ-hexachlorocyclohexanes (γ-HCH) and heptachlor, and moderate ecological risk was observed for levels of DDTs in sediments from the Jaguaribe River. The heptachlor, γ-HCH and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) concentrations depend on the organic and inorganic fractions of sediment from the Jaguaribe River, whereas the p,p-DDE, p,p-DDD, p,p-DDT and α-endosulfan concentrations depend solely on the organic fraction of the sediment.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Assessment of Organic Contaminants (LACOr), Institute of Marine Sciences-Federal University of Ceará (LABOMAR-UFC), Av. Abolição, 3207-Meireles, CEP: 60165-081 Fortaleza, CE, Brazil. Electronic address: andrehbo@yahoo.com.br.
authors.forename: André H B
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Assessment of Organic Contaminants (LACOr), Institute of Marine Sciences-Federal University of Ceará (LABOMAR-UFC), Av. Abolição, 3207-Meireles, CEP: 60165-081 Fortaleza, CE, Brazil. Electronic address: rivelino@ufc.br.
authors.forename: Rivelino M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Cavalcante
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Assessment of Organic Contaminants (LACOr), Institute of Marine Sciences-Federal University of Ceará (LABOMAR-UFC), Av. Abolição, 3207-Meireles, CEP: 60165-081 Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Wersângela C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Duaví
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Assessment of Organic Contaminants (LACOr), Institute of Marine Sciences-Federal University of Ceará (LABOMAR-UFC), Av. Abolição, 3207-Meireles, CEP: 60165-081 Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Gabrielle M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Analysis Traces (LAT), Department of Chemistry, Federal University of Ceará, CEP: 60000-000 Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ronaldo F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Nascimento
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry (LAQUA), Department of Chemistry, Federal University of Viçosa, CEP: 36570-900 Viçosa, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria E L R
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Queiroz
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Economics, Law and Sustainability (LEDS), Institute of Marine Sciences, Federal University of Ceará, CEP: 60165-081 Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Kamila V
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: Mendonça
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated / Q000032:analysis*; D010575:Pesticides / Q000032:analysis*; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; D010575:Pesticides; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Cearense semi-arid; Jaguaribe River/Brazil; Organochlorine pesticides; Persistent organic pollutants; Sediment; Tropical mangroves