Characterization of transboundary POP contamination in aquatic ecosystems of Pearl River delta

Abstract

During the past two decades, the rapid development of the Pearl River delta leads to substantial accumulation of various toxic organic compounds. This study aims to give a preliminary characterization of the existing state of contamination in this region and to provide insight into the possible fate of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in this estuary. The available data on POPs in water, river, estuarine sediments, soil, and marine organisms within the Pearl River Delta are compiled. It is shown that it may lead to transboundary POP pollution problems at both Hong Kong and Macau Special Administration Regions located at the downstream end of the region. It is noted that the levels of DDTs and HCHs in various environmental media are at alerting levels and that fresh DDT might still be applied illegally within the region. A systematic research is required to determine both the temporal and spatial variations of all POPs in various carrying media of the Pearl River delta as a whole.

Spatial structure analysis and kriging of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane residues in topsoil from Tianjin, China

“…High randomness of DDT concentrations in topsoil were also observed in other areas of China, as reported, in Beijing, Hong Kong, Taihu Lake area and Pearl River Delta (Zhu et al, 2005;Zhang et al, 2006;Shen et al, 2005;Chau, 2005). DDT concentrations were found highly correlated with historical usage in these areas for agricultural purposes (Zhu et al, 2005;Zhang et al, 2006;Shen et al, 2005;Chau, 2005).…”

Dichloro-Diphenyl-Trichloroethane (DDT) and Endosulfan in Sediments of Sabancuy Lagoon, Campeche, Mexico

“…Under favorable conditions, sediments are sinks of POC, which can be resuspended and lead to a second round of water pollution [28]. Therefore, POC residues in pore water, suspended particles and sediments can provide valuable records that denote potential pollution and environmental hazards [3] [29].…”

Ecotoxicology: A Review of Pesticides Induced Toxicity in Fish

“…By this mean it indirectly interrupts the fish food supply and change the habitat of water bodies (Maskaoui et al, 2005;Chau, 2005). Besides this it can also make the fish more susceptible to predators by decreasing habitat suitability and changing their behaviour as well, which is a direct effect as a consequence of indirect effect (Holden, 1973;Prashanth et al, 2011;Gill and Raine, 2014).…”