Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Former DDT factory in Pakistan revisited for remediation: severe DDT concentrations in soils and plants from within the area

  • 11th Forum of the International HCH and Pesticide Association
  • Published:
Environmental Science and Pollution Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A factory in Amman Garh near Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, produced dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) from 1963–1994. Consequently, earlier papers reported a soil contamination in the per mille range inside the former factory wall (88 m × 106 m) and up to 10 mg/kg of DDT in the surroundings in 2005–2007. The site within the factory wall was remonitored systematically in 2011 to complement the earlier data as a prerequisite for remediation, to put them in exposure context in a population developing area, and to suggest and evaluate the optimal remediation technique for the site. The contamination was drastically higher than the earlier published data, and the sum of DDT and its metabolites (ΣDDT) was up to 65 % in the soil. Grasses, shrubs, and trees growing in this severely contaminated site had 50–450 mg/kgdw of ΣDDT. Thus, people living nearby and husbandry as well as wild animals are heavily exposed to DDT. The semiarid climate favors wind drift and deposition of the pollutant. Additionally, DDT from products of herbivore animals feeding on the contaminated plants will enter the food web. To overcome the exposure and distribution of the DDT, the site within the factory wall was capped with 1.5 m of soil. This remediation technique represents the easiest and least expensive solution. Nevertheless, DDT can still evaporate or leach, and groundwater can rise in this flood-prone area and thereby become contaminated, especially because a binding layer is missing.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ahad K, Mohammad A, Khan H, Ahmad I, Hayat Y (2010) Monitoring results for organochlorine pesticides in soil and water from selected obsolete pesticide stores in Pakistan. Environ Monit Assess 166:191–199

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Artiola JF, Pepper IL, Brusseau M (2004) Environmental monitoring and characterization. Elsevier Academic Press, Burlington

    Google Scholar 

  • Aslund MLW, Lunney AI, Rutter A, Zeeb BA (2010) Effects of amendments on the uptake and distribution of DDT in Cucurbita pepo ssp pepo plants. Environ Pollut 158:508–513

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Azmi MA, Naqvi SNH, Azmi MA, Aslam M (2006) Effect of pesticide residues on health and different enzyme levels in the blood of farm workers from Gadap (rural area) Karachi-Pakistan. Chemosphere 64:1739–1744

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bartelt-Hunt SL, Smith JA, Burns SE, Rabideau AJ (2005) Evaluation of granular activated carbon, shale, and two organoclays for use as sorptive amendments in clay landfill liners. J Geotech Geoenviron 131:848–856

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bartelt-Hunt SL, Culver TB, Smith JA, Matott LS, Rabideau AJ (2006) Optimal design of a compacted soil liner containing sorptive amendments. J Environ Eng-Asce 132:769–776

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bouwman H, Kylin H, Sereda B, Bornman R (2012) High levels of DDT in breast milk: intake, risk, lactation duration, and involvement of gender. Environ Pollut 170:63–70

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Buczyńska A, Szadkowska-Stańczyk I (2005) Identification of health hazards to rural population living near pesticide dump sites in Poland. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 18:331–339

    Google Scholar 

  • Castelo-Grande T, Augusto PA, Monteiro P, Estevez AM, Barbosa D (2010) Remediation of soils contaminated with pesticides: a review. Int J Environ Anal Chem 90:438–467

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cliath MM, Spencer WF (1972) Dissipation of pesticides from soil by volatilization of degradation products. 1. Lindane and DDT. Environ Sci Technol 6:910–914

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Colborn T, Dumanoski D, Myers JP (1997) Our stolen future: are we threatening our fertility, intelligence, and survival?—a scientific detective story. Penguin Books, USA Inc, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Collins C, Fryer M, Grosso A (2006) Plant uptake of non-ionic organic chemicals. Environ Sci Technol 40:45–52

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cornelissen G, Gustafsson Ö, Bucheli TD, Jonker MTO, Koelmans AA, Van Noort PCM (2005) Extensive sorption of organic compounds to black carbon, coal, and kerogen in sediments and soils: mechanisms and consequences for distribution, bioaccumulation, and biodegradation. Environ Sci Technol 39:6881–6895

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Desaules A, Ammann S, Blum F, Brändli RC, Bucheli TD, Keller A (2008) PAH and PCB in soils of Switzerland—status and critical review. J Environ Monitor 10:1265–1277

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Elfvendahl S, Mihale M, Kishimba MA, Kylin H (2004) Pesticide pollution remains severe after cleanup of stockpile of obsolete pesticides at Vikuge, Tanzania. Ambio 33:504–509

    Google Scholar 

  • Eqani S, Malik RN, Alamdar A, Faheem H (2012) Status of organochlorine contaminants in the different environmental compartments of Pakistan: a review on occurrence and levels. Bull Environ Contam Tox 88:303–310

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Faroon O, Harris M, Llados F, Swarts S, Sage V, Citra M, Gefell D (2002) Toxicological profile for DDT, DDE, and DDD. ATSDR (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry) 497 pages

  • Ghosh U, Luthy RG, Cornelissen G, Werner D, Menzie CA (2011) In-situ sorbent amendments: a new direction in contaminated sediment management. Environ Sci Technol 45:1163–1168

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gonzalez M, Miglioranza KSB, de Moreno JEA, Moreno VJ (2003) Organochlorine pesticide residues in leek (Allium porrum) crops grown on untreated soils from an agricultural environment. J Agr Food Chem 51:5024–5029

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Götz R, Sokollek V, Weber R (2012) The dioxin/POPs legacy of pesticide production in Hamburg: part 2—waste deposits and remediation of Georgswerder landfill. Environ Sci Pollut Res. doi:10.1007/s11356-012-0986-x, Online; pp. 1–12

  • Gyalpo T, Fritsche L, Bouwman H, Bornman R, Scheringer M, Hungerbühler K (2012) Estimation of human body concentrations of DDT from indoor residual spraying for malaria control. Environ Pollut 169:235–241

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hilber I, Bucheli TD (2010) Activated carbon amendment to remediate contaminated sediments and soils: a review. Global Nest J 12:305–307

    Google Scholar 

  • Hilber I, Maeder P, Schulin R, Wyss GS (2008) Survey of organochlorine pesticides in horticultural soils and there grown Cucurbitaceae. Chemosphere 73:954–961

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jan MR, Shah J, Khawaja MA, Gul K (2009) DDT residue in soil and water in and around abandoned DDT manufacturing factory. Environ Monit Assess 155:31–38

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Khwaja MA (2008) POPs hot spot soil contamination due to a demolished dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (persistent organic pollutant) factory, Nowshera, NWFP, Pakistan. Ann Ny Acad Sci 1140:113–120

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Khwaja MA, Jan MR, Gul K (2006) Physical verification and study of contamination of soil and water in and surrounding areas of abandoned persistent organic pollutant (DDT) factory in North West Frontier Province (NWFP) Pakistan. Sustainable Development Policy Institute SDPI, Islamabad, Pakistan p. 54

  • Khwaja MA, Jan MR, Gul K (2007) Study of contamination of soil in surrounding of abandoned persistant organic pollutant (DDT) factory in North West Frontier Province (NWFP) Pakistan. Sustainable Development Policy Institute SDPI, Islamabad, Pakistan p. 39

  • Kromidas S (2000) Validierung in der Analytik. Weinheim, Germany

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Kylin H (1996) Airborne lipophilic pollutants in pine needles. Environ Sci Pollut Res 3:218–223

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kylin H, Sjödin A (2003) Accumulation of airborne hexachlorocyclohexanes and DDT in pine needles. Environ Sci Technol 37:2350–2355

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lopez-Avila V, Schoen S, Milanes J, Beckert WF (1988) Single-laboratory evaluation of EPA method 8080 for determination of chlorinated pesticides and polychlorinated-biphenyls in hazardous wastes. J Assoc Off Ana Chem 71:375–387

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lowry GV, Murphy PJ, Marquette A, Reible D (2006) Sorbent-amended “active” sediment caps for in-place management of PCB-contaminated sediments. In: Calabrese EJ, Kostecki PT, Dragun J (eds) Contaminated soils, sediments and water, vol 10. Springer-Verlag, New York, NY, pp 379–391

  • Lunney AI, Zeeb BA, Reimer KJ (2004) Uptake of weathered DDT in vascular plants: potential for phytoremediation. Environ Sci Technol 38:6147–6154

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lunney AI, Rutter A, Zeeb BA (2010) Effect of organic matter additions on uptake of weathered DDT by Cucurbita pepo ssp pepo cv. Howden. Int J Phytorem 12:404–417

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Marco JAM, Kishimba MA (2005) Concentrations of pesticide residues in grasses and sedges due to point source contamination and the indications for public health risks, Vikuge, Tanzania. Chemosphere 61:1293–1298

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Minh NH, Minh TB, Kajiwara N, Kunisue T, Subramanian A, Iwata H, Tana TS, Baburajendran R, Karuppiah S, Viet PH, Tuyen BC, Tanabe S (2006) Contamination by persistent organic pollutants in dumping sites of Asian developing countries: implication of emerging pollution sources. Arch Environ Con Tox 50:474–481

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mitra J, Raghu K (1998) Long term DDT pollution in tropical soils: effect of DDT and degradation products on soil microbial activities leading to soil fertility. B Environ Contam Tox 60:585–591

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mitton FM, Gonzalez M, Pena A, Miglioranza KSB (2012) Effects of amendments on soil availability and phytoremediation potential of aged p, p ′-DDT, p, p ′-DDE and p, p ′-DDD residues by willow plants (Salix sp.). J Hazard Mater 203:62–68

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murphy P, Marquette A, Reible D, Lowry GV (2006) Predicting the performance of activated carbon-, coke-, and soil-amended thin layer sediment caps. J Environ Eng-Asce 132:787–794

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Noegrohati S, Narsito HS, Sanjayadi (2008) Fate and behavior of organochlorine pesticides in the Indonesian tropical climate: a study in the Segara Anakan estuarine ecosystem. Clean-Soil Air Water 36:767–774

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pakistan Government (2009) National implementation plan (NIP) for phasing out and elimination of POPs from Pakistan under Stockholm Convention article 7(a). p. 842. http://chm.pops.int/Implementation/NIPs/NIPSubmissions/tabid/253/Default.aspx

  • Quinn L, Pieters R, Nieuwoudt C, Borgen AR, Kylin H, Bouwman H (2009) Distribution profiles of selected organic pollutants in soils and sediments of industrial, residential and agricultural areas of South Africa. J Environ Monitor 11:1647–1657

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shen L, Wania F (2005) Compilation, evaluation, and selection of physical-chemical property data for organochlorine pesticides. J Chem Eng Data 50:742–768

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Somasundaram L, Coats JR (1991) Pesticide transformation products in the environment. ACS Symposium Series 459:2–9

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stockholm Convention (2008) Stockholm convention on persistent organic pollutants. At http://www.pops.int. Accessed November 2012

  • Tariq MI, Afzal S, Hussain I, Sultana N (2007) Pesticides exposure in Pakistan: a review. Environ Int 33:1107–1122

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tutiempo Network SL (2012) http://www.tutiempo.net/en/Climate/Peshawar/08-2008/415300.htm. Accessed March 2012.

  • UNEP, AMAP (2011) Climate change and POPs: predicting the impacts. p. 66

  • Vega FA, Covelo EE, Andrade ML (2007) Accidental organochlorine pesticide contamination of soil in Porrino, Spain. J Environ Qual 36:272–279

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vijgen J, Abhilash PC, Li YF, Lal R, Forter M, Torres J, Singh N, Yunus M, Tian CG, Schaffer A, Weber R (2011) Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) as new Stockholm Convention POPs—a global perspective on the management of Lindane and its waste isomers. Environ Sci Pollut Res 18:152–162

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Voerman S, Besemer AFH (1975) Persistence of dieldrin, lindane, and DDT in a light sandy soil and their uptake by grass. Bull Environ Contam Tox 13:501–505

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wania F, Mackay D (1996) Tracking the distribution of persistent organic pollutants. Environ Sci Technol 30:A390–A396

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weber R, Varbelow H (2012) Dioxin/POPs legacy of pesticide production in Hamburg: part 1—securing of the production area. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int (in press)

  • WHO (2007) The use of DDT in malaria vector control. Global malaria program

  • Willett LB, O’Donnell AF, Durst HI, Kurz MM (1993) Mechanisms of movement of organochlorine pesticides from soils to cows via forages. J Dairy Sci 76:1635–1644

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ying GG, Kookana RS, Mallavarpu M (2005) Release behavior of triazine residues in stabilised contaminated soils. Environ Pollut 134:71–77

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zeeb BA, Amphlett JS, Rutter A, Reimer KJ (2006) Potential for phytoremediation of polychlorinated biphenyl-(PCB-)contaminated soil. Int J Phytoremediation 8:199–221

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zurek J, Samsonowicz A, Gosk E (1993) Chemical dump sites in Poland. Land Degrad Rehabil 4:415–420

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Swiss National Science Foundation for funding this Joint Research Project between Pakistan and Switzerland. Furthermore, all the helpers from the Environmental Science Department of Peshawar University, Peshawar, Pakistan, and from the Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Islamabad, Pakistan, are thanked for their work in the monitoring study. The authors are also grateful for the motivating and supporting assessment of this manuscript by the reviewers.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Peshawar, 25000, Peshawar, KPK, Pakistan

    Asma Younas & Shafique ur Rehman

  2. Agroscope Reckenholz Tanikon Research Station ART, Reckenholzstrasse 191, 8046, Zurich, Switzerland

    Isabel Hilber & Thomas D. Bucheli

  3. Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), 38 Embassy Road, G-6/3, 44000, Islamabad, Pakistan

    Mahmood Khwaja

Authors
  1. Asma Younas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Isabel Hilber
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Shafique ur Rehman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Mahmood Khwaja
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Thomas D. Bucheli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Isabel Hilber.

Additional information

Responsible editor: Leif Kronberg

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Younas, A., Hilber, I., ur Rehman, S. et al. Former DDT factory in Pakistan revisited for remediation: severe DDT concentrations in soils and plants from within the area. Environ Sci Pollut Res 20, 1966–1976 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-012-1317-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-012-1317-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation