Methods for selective determination of persistent organochlorine pesticide residues in water and sediments by capillary gas chromatography and electron-capture detection

Different extraction methods were evaluated for the determination of fifteen organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in water and sediments. Liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) was evaluated for the pesticides analyses in water while Soxhlet extraction (SE) and microwave assisted extraction (MAE) methods were compared in sediment. Of all the extracting solvents used, dichloromethane gave the best results. Percentage recoveries ranged from 71.03 +/- 8.15 (dieldrin) to 101.25 +/- 2.17% a-benzenehexachloride (alpha-BHC)] in water with LLE. In sediments the percentage recoveries with Soxhlet extraction method varied between 88.22 +/- 7.85 (endrin) and 109.63 +/- 5.10% (beta-BHC) and ranged from 74.11 +/- 9.82 (2,4 DDT) to 97.50 +/- 4.56% (alpha-BHC) with MAE. The limits of detection for the OCPs ranged from 5.5 to 20.6 ng/l and between 0.6 and 2.1 ng/g. respectively. The LLE and the SE methods were applied to water and sediments samples, respectively, from marine and freshwater sources in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa that receive runoffs from agricultural lands and effluents from industries. The levels of OCPs ranged from 5.5 (2,4-DDD) to 450 +/- 0.10 ng/l (beta-BHC) in water samples and from 0.6 (aldrin and 2,4-DDD) to 184 +/- 0.12 ng/g (beta-BHC) in sediments for triplicate analyses. Some endocrine disrupting OCPs such as DDT, DDE, heptachlor, endosulphan and the chlordanes were detected.