Abstract
This paper documents levels of organochlorine pesticides (OCs) in coastal surface sediments from selected reference sites on the northern Atlantic Spanish coast. One hundred eight samples covering three estuaries in the Cantabrian Coast were sampled in 2006 and analyzed in the finer fraction (<63 μm) for 19 OCs by gas chromatography with electron capture detector after confirmation by mass spectrometry. Detected organochlorine pesticides were endosulfan α, endosulfan β, endosulfan sulfate, hexachlorobenzene (HCB), aldrin, dieldrin, methoxychlor, 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethylene (4,4′-DDE) and 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethane (4,4′-DDD). Total OCs concentrations ranged from 1.8 ng g − 1 dry weight (dw) to 3.9 ng g − 1 dw, showing a uniform distribution along the studied area, and being consistent with recorded levels in the literature for coastal sediments in other reference sites with low levels of pollution by OCs along the Atlantic Ocean. Endosulfan, 4,4′-DDD, HCB, aldrin, and dieldrin seemed to be ubiquitous as the legacy of past uses and deposition. OCs concentrations were significantly correlated to organic matter content and particle size distribution. No adverse biological effects derived from these pollutants are expected to take place as it can be concluded from the comparison with the existent marine sediment quality guidelines.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Antizar-Ladislao, B. (2009). Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, phthalates and organotins in northern Atlantic Spain’s coastal marine sediments. Journal of Environmental Monitoring, 11, 85–91.
Barber, J. L., Sweetman, A. J., van Wijk, D., & Jones, K. C. (2005). Hexachlorobenzene in the global environment: Emissions, levels, distribution, trends and processes. The Science of the Total Environment, 349, 1–44.
Bard, S. M. (1999). Global transport of anthropogenic contaminants and the consequences for the Arctic marine ecosystem. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 38, 356–379.
Baxter, R. M. (1990). Reductive dechlorination of certain chlorinated organic compounds by reduced hematin compared with their behaviour in the environment. Chemosphere, 21, 451–458.
Binelli, A., & Provini, A. (2003). DDT is still a problem in developed countries: The heavy pollution of Lake Maggiore. Chemosphere, 52, 717–723.
Blais, J. M., Wilhelm, F., Kidd, K. A., Muir, D. C. G., Donald, D. B., & Schindler, D. W. (2003). Concentrations of organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in amphipods (Gammarus lacustris) along an elevation gradient in mountain lakes of Western Canada. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 22, 2605–2613.
Borja, A., y colaboradores (2005). Red de Seguimiento del estado ecológico de las aguas de transición y costeras de la Comunidad Autónoma del País Vasco (p. 718). Informe de Azti-Tecnalia para la Dirección de Aguas del Departamento de ordenación del Territorio y Medio Ambiente, Gobierno Vasco, Campaña 2004.
Carvalho, P. N., Rodrigues, P. N. R., Basto, M. C. P., & Vasconcelos, M. T. S. D. (2009a). Organochlorine pesticides levels in Portuguese coastal areas. Chemosphere, 75, 595–600.
Carvalho, F. P., Villeneuve, J.-P., Cattini, C., Rendón, J., & Mota de Oliveira, J. (2009b). Pesticide and PCB residues in the aquatic ecosystems of Laguna de Terminos, a protected area of the coast of Campeche, Mexico. Chemosphere, 74, 988–995.
CCME (Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment) (2002). Canadian sediment quality guidelines for the protection of aquatic life: Summary tables. Updated. In: Canadian environmental quality guidelines, 1999. Winnipeg: Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment.
Cerrillo, I., Olea-Serrano, M. F., Ibarluzea, J., Exposito, J., Torne, P., Laguna, J., et al. (2006). Environmental and lifestyle factors for organochlorine exposure among women living in Southern Spain. Chemosphere, 62, 1917–1924.
Chang, S., & Doong, R. (2006). Concentration and fate of persistent organochlorine pesticides in estuarine sediments using headspace solid-phase microextraction. Chemosphere, 62, 1869–1878.
Cleeman, M., Riget, F., Paulsen, G. B., Klungsoyr, J., & Dietz, R. (2000). Organochlorines in Greenland marine fish, mussels and sediments. The Science of the Total Environment, 245, 87–102.
Darko, G., Akoto, O., & Oppong, C. (2008). Persistent organochlorine pesticide residues in fish, sediments and water from Lake Bosomtwi, Ghana. Chemosphere, 72, 21–24.
De Mora, S., Fowler, S. W., Tolosa, I., Villeneuve, J.-P., & Cattini, C. (2005). Chlorinated hydrocarbons in marine biota and coastal sediments from the Gulf and Gulf of Oman. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 50, 835–849.
Delle Site, A. (2001). Factors affecting sorption of organic compounds in natural sorbent/water systems and sorption coefficients for selected pollutants. A review. Journal of Physical and Chemical Reference Data, 30, 187–439.
EC Regulation (2004). EC regulation no. 850/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on persistent organic pollutants and amending Directive 79/117/EEC. OJL 158, 30 April 2004 (pp. 7–49).
E-PRTR Regulation (2006). E-PRTR regulation (EC) no. 166/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the establishment of a European pollutant release and transfer register and amending Council Directives 91/689/EEC and 96/61/EC.
Fillmann, G., Readman, J. W., Tolosa, I., Bartocci, J., Villeneuve, J. P., Cattini, C., et al. (2002). Persistent organochlorine residues in sediments from the Black Sea. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 44, 122–133.
Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Office for the Protection of Water Policy (1994). Approach to the assessment of sediment quality in Florida Coastal Waters: Development and evaluation of sediment quality Assessment guidelines, prepared for Office of Water Policy, Tallahasee, Florida by MacDonald Environmental Sciences, Ltd. British Columbia, Canada: Ladysmith.
Fontcuberta, M., Arqués, J. F., Villalbí, J. R., Martínez, M., Centrich, F., Serrahima, E., et al. (2008). Chlorinated organic pesticides in marketed food: Barcelona, 2001–06. The Science of the Total Environment, 389, 52–57.
Gómez-Gutiérrez, A., Garnacho, E., Bayona, J. M., & Albaigés, J. (2007). Assessment of the Mediterranean sediments contamination by persistent organic pollutants. Environmental Pollution, 148, 396–408.
González-Piñuela, C., Coz, A., Andrés, A., Irabien, M. J., Yusta, I., & Viguri, J. R. (2006). PAHs composition in surface sediments from the Santander Bay (Northern Spain). Fresenius Environmental Bulletin, 15, 1031–1036.
Harrison, N., Gangaiya, P., & Morrison, R. J. (1996). Organochlorines in the coastal marine environment of Vanuatu and Tonga. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 35, 575–579.
Hernández, F., Pitarch, E., Serrano, R., & Guerrero, C. (2002). Determination of organochlorine compounds in human adipose tissue using automated liquid chromatographic clean up and gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Chromatographia, 55, 715–722.
Hong, S. H., Yim, U. H., Shim, W. J., Oh, J. R., Viet, P. H., & Park, P. S. (2008). Persistent organochlorine residues in estuarine and marine sediments from Ha Long Bay, Hai Phong Bay, and Ba Lat Estuary, Vietnam. Chemosphere, 72, 1193–1202.
Hu, L., Zhang, G., Zheng, B., Qin, Y., Lin, T., & Guo, Z. (2009). Occurrence and distribution of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in surface sediments of the Bohai Sea, China. Chemosphere, 77, 663–672.
Hung, H., Halsall, C. J., Blanchard, P., Li, H. H., Fellin, P., Stern, G., & Rosenberg, B. (2002). Temporal trends of organochlorine pesticides in the Canadian Arctic atmosphere. Environmental Science and Technology, 36, 862–868.
Iwata, H., Tanabe, S., Sakai, N., Nishimura, A., & Tatsukawa, R. (1994). Geographical distribution of persistent organochlorines in air, water and sediments from Asia and Oceania, and their implications for global redistribution from lower latitudes. Environmental Pollution, 85, 15–33.
Jan, M. R., Shah, J., Khawaja, M. A., & Gul, K. (2009). DDT residue in soil and water in and around abandoned DDT manufacturing factory. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 155, 31–38.
Jiao, L., Zheng, G. J., Minh, T. B., Richardson, B., Chen, L., Zhang, Y., et al. (2009). Persistent toxic substances in remote lake and coastal sediments from Svalbard, Norwegian Arctic: Levels, sources and fluxes. Environmental Pollution, 157, 1342–1351.
Karickhoff, S. W., Brown, D. S., & Scott, T. A. (1979). Sorption of hydrophobic pollutants on natural sediments. Water Research, 13, 241–248.
Kilemade, M., Hartl, M. G. J., Sheehan, D., Mothersill, C., Pelt van, F. N. A. M., O’Brien, N. M., et al. (2004). An assessment of the pollutant status of surficial sediment in Cork Harbour in the South East of Ireland with particular reference to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 49, 1084–1096.
Lee, K. T., Tanabe, S., & Koh, C. H. (2001). Distribution of organochlorine pesticides in sediments from Kyeonggi Bay and nearby areas, Korea. Environmental Pollution, 114, 207–213.
Liu, M., Yang, Y., Hou, L., Xu, S., Ou, D., Zhang, B., et al. (2003). Chlorinated organic contaminants in surface sediments from the Yangtze Estuary and nearby coastal areas, China. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 46, 659–676.
Loganathan, B. G., Sajwan, K. S., Richardson, J. P., Chetty, C. S., & Owen, D. A. (2001). Persistent oganochlorine concentrations in sediment and fish from Atlantic Coastal and Brackish waters off Savannah, Georgia, USA. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 42, 246–250.
Lohmann, R., Breivik, K., Dachs, J., & Muir, D. (2007). Global fate of POPs: Current and future research directions. Environmental Pollution, 150, 150–165.
Macdonald, R. W., Barrie, L. A., Bidleman, T. F., Diamond, M. L., Gregor, D. J., Semkin, R. G., et al. (2000). Contaminants in the Canadian Arctic: 5 years of progress in understanding sources, occurrence and pathways. The Science of the Total Environment, 254, 93–234.
Malik, A., Priyanka, O., & Singh, K. P. (2009). Levels and distribution of persistent organochlorine pesticide residues in water and sediments of Gomti River (India)—A tributary of the Ganges River. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 148(1–4), 421–435.
Meijer, S. N., Ockenden, W. A., Steinnes, E., Corrigan, B. P., & Jones, K. C. (2003). Spatial and temporal trends in Norwegian and UK background air: Implications for global cycling. Environmental Science and Technology, 37, 454–461.
Menone, M. L., Miglioranza, K. S. B., Botto, F., Iribarne, O., Aizpún de Moreno, J. E., & Moreno, V. J. (2006). Field accumulative behaviour of organochlorine pesticides. The role of crabs and sediment characteristics in coastal environments. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 52, 1717–1724.
NOAA (1999). Buchman, M.F. NOAA screening quick reference tables (12 pp.). NOAA HAZMAT Report 99-1. Seattle WA: Coastal Protection and Restoration Division, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Observatorio Medioambiental de la Ría de Vigo (1996). Fundación Provigo, Instituto Español de Oceanografía e Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas) (pp. 14–27). Informe 1995.
Odete, G., & Vale, C. (1999). DDT concentrations in surficial sediments of three estuarine systems in Portugal. Aquatic Ecology, 33, 263–269.
Pazou, E. Y. A., Boko, M., van Gestel, C. A. M., Ahissou, H., Lalèyè, P., Akpona, S., et al. (2006). Organochlorine and organophosphorous pesticide residues in the Ouémé River catchment in the Republic of Bénin. Environment International, 21, 616–623.
Peris, E., Requena, S., de la Guardia, M., Pastor, A., & Carrasco, J. M. (2005). Organochlorinated pesticides in sediments from la Albufera of Valencia (Spain). Chemosphere, 60, 1542–1549.
Peters, A. J., Jones, K. C., Flower, R. J., Appleby, P. G., Ramdani, M., Kraïem, M. M., et al. (2001). Recent environmental change in North African wetland lakes: A baseline study of organochlorine contaminant residues in sediments from nine sites in the CASSARINA Project. Aquatic Ecology, 35, 449–459.
Pikkarainen, A.-L. (2007). Polychlorinated biphenyls and chlorinated pesticides in Baltic sea sediments and bivalves. Chemosphere, 68, 17–24.
Porta, M., BoschdeBasea, M., Benavides, F. G., López, T., Fernández, E., Marco, E., et al. (2008). Differences in serum concentrations of organochlorine compounds by occupational social class in pancreatic cancer. Environmental Research, 108, 370–379.
Quality Status Report of the North Sea (QSR) (1993). Concerning Norway’s implementation of the North Sea declaration. 1991/92. Ministry of Environment, Oslo. Parliamentary Report N° 64. London: Oslo and Paris Commissions.
Rice, C. P., Chernyak, S. M., Hepeman, C. J., & Bilboulian, S. (1997). Air-water distribution of the endosulfan isomers. Journal of Environmental Quality, 26, 1101–1106.
Santos de Souza, A., Machado, J. P., Ornellas, R., Curcio, R., Souto, M., & Silveira, C. (2008). Organochlorine pesticides (Ocs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in sediments and crabs (Chasmagnathus granulata, Dana, 1851) from mangroves of Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. Chemosphere, 73(Supplement 1), S186–S192.
Sbriz, L., Aquino, M. R., Alberto de Rodriguez, N. M., Fowler, S. W., & Sericano, J. L. (1998). Levels of chlorinated hydrocarbons and trace metals in bivalves and nearshore sediments from the Dominican Republic. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 36, 971–979.
Stern, G. A., Braekevelt, E., Helm, P. A., Bidleman, T. F., Outridge, P. M., Lockhart, W. L., et al. (2005). Modern and historical fluxes of halogenated organic contaminants to a lake in the Canadian arctic, as determined from annually laminated sediment cores. The Science of the Total Environment, 342, 223–243.
Strachan, W. M. J., Burniston, D. A., Williamson, M., & Bohdanowicz, H. (2001). Spatial differences in persistent organochlorine pollutant concentrations between the Bering and Chukchi Seas (1993). Marine Pollution Bulletin, 43, 132–142.
Strandberg, B., Bandh, C., van Bavel, B., Bergqvist, P.-A., Broman, D., Ishaq, R., et al. (2000). Organochlorine compounds in the Gulf of Bothnia: Sediment and benthic species. Chemosphere, 40, 1205–1211.
Tavares, T. M., Beretta, M., & Costa, M. C. (1999). Ratio of DDT/DDE in the All Saints Bay, Brazil and its use in environmental management. Chemosphere, 38, 1445–1452.
Thompson, S., Budzinski, H., Garrigues, P., & Narbonne, J. F. (1999). Comparison of PCB and DDT distribution between water-column and sediment-dwelling bivalves in Arcachon Bay, France. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 38, 655–662.
Tolosa, I., Bayona, J. M., & Albaigés, J. (1995). Spatial and temporal distribution, fluxes, and budgets of organochlorinated compounds in Northwest Mediterranean sediments. Environmental Science and Technology, 29, 2519–2527.
UNE-EN ISO 12879 (2001). Characterization of sludges. Determination of the loss on ignition on dry mass. European Standard.
UNE-EN ISO 12880 (2001). Characterization of sludges. Determination of dry residue and water content. European Standard.
UNE-EN ISO 13137 (2002). Characterization of waste. Determination of total organic carbon (TOC) in waste, sludges and sediments. European Standard.
UNE-EN ISO 5667-19 (2004). Water Quality-Sampling-Part 19: Guidance on Sampling in marine sediments. European Standard.
UNE-EN ISO 77305 (1999). Soil quality. Determination of pH. European Standard.
UNE-EN ISO 77314 (2001). Soil quality. Determination of particle size distribution in mineral soil material. Method by sieving and sedimentation. European Standard.
UNEP (1996). UNEP survey on sources of POPs. Report prepared for an IFCS Expert Meeting on Persistent Organic Pollutants, Manila, the Philippines, 17–19 June 1996. Geneva, Switzerland: UNEP.
UNEP (2001). UNEP Stockholm convention on persistent organic pollutants.
UNEP (2002). Regionally based assessment of persistent toxic substances. Switzerland: Mediterranean Regional Report, UNEP.
US-EPA (1996). Method 3620B. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
US-EPA (1999). Method 3546 (SW 846). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
US-EPA (2006). US-EPA Region III BTAG marine sediment screening benchmarks. http://www.epa.gov/reg3hscd/risk/eco/btag/sbv/marsed/screenbench.htm#download.
US-EPA (2001). Methods for collection, storage and manipulation of sediments for chemical and toxicological analyses: Technical manual, EPA 823-B-01-002. Washington, DC: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water.
Viguri, J., Verde, J., & Irabien, A. (2002). Environmental assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in surface sediments of the Santander Bay, Northern Spain. Chemosphere, 48, 157–165.
Wania, F., & Mackay, D. (1996). Tracking the distribution of persistent organic pollutants. Environmental Science and Technology, 30, A390–A396.
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (2003). Consensus-based sediment quality guidelines recommendations for use and application interim guidance developed by the contaminated sediment Standing Team WT-732 2003. http://dnr.wi.gov/org/aw/rr/technical/cbsqg_interim_final.pdf.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Gómez, S., Gorri, D. & Irabien, Á. Organochlorine pesticide residues in sediments from coastal environment of Cantabria (northern Spain) and evaluation of the Atlantic Ocean. Environ Monit Assess 176, 385–401 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-010-1591-4
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-010-1591-4