Linares, M; Gorri, D; Irabien, Ã
22nd Interamerican Congress of Chemical Engineering, CIIQ 2006 and 5th Argentinian Congress of Chemical Engineering, CAIQ 2006
Successive restrictions in the manufacture, uses and distribution of some pesticides in the European Union make necessary an environmental assessment of the evolution of these Persistent Organic Pollutants in the Environment. In this study, organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were identified and evaluated in marine sediments collected in the main three estuaries of the Santander Bay (Cantabria, Spain): Boo, SolÃa and San Salvador. Physico chemical characterization of sediments was based on humidity, particle size distribution, total organic carbon (TOC) and loss on ignition (LOI). 19 pesticides were analyzed according to US-EPA standard methods of extraction and analysis. α-HCH, β-HCH, Ï,Ïâ²-DDD, Ï,Ïâ²-DDE, Ï,Ïâ²-DDT, aldrin, dieldrin, endrin and a-endosulfan were identified. Total concentrations of HCH (Hexachlorocyclohexane) in Boo (2,22 ng g-1) and SolÃa (5,90 ng g-1) are higher than reported values in Ebro river (0,007 ng g 1). ÏDDT in San Salvador (66,82 ng g-1) is higher than Boo (11,49 ng g-1), SolÃa (10,94 ng g-1) and Ebro River (3,10 ng g-1). The amount of DDT in sediments was significant compared to that reported in the literature from some other estuaries in Spain.