Distribution and ecological risk of organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in sediments from the Mediterranean coastal environment of Egypt

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2013.06.050

Chemosphere

Volume 93, Issue 3, September 2013, Pages 545-554

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2013.06.050 Get rights and content

Highlights

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High levels of OCs were found near urban areas, shipping and industrial activities.
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Ubiquitous contaminants were PCBs, DDTs, and chloropyrifos.
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DDT and HCHs inputs at several locations appear to be from recent usage.
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OC levels were similar to those observed in sediments of the Mediterranean Sea.
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Areas of expected potential ecotoxicological risk were identified.

Abstract

Organochlorine contamination in the Mediterranean coastal environment of Egypt was assessed based on 26 surface sediments samples collected from several locations on the Egyptian coast, including harbors, coastal lakes, bays, and estuaries. The distribution and potential ecological risk of contaminants is described. Organochlorine compounds (OCs) were widely distributed in the coastal environment of Egypt. Concentrations of PCBs, DDTs, and chloropyrifos ranged from 0.29 to 377 ng g⁻¹ dw, 0.07 to 81.5 ng g⁻¹ dw, and below the detection limit (DL) to 288 ng g⁻¹ dw, respectively. Other organochlorinated pesticides (OCP) studied were 1–2 orders of magnitude lower. OCP and PCBs had higher concentrations at Burullus Lake, Abu Qir Bay, Alexandria Eastern Harbor, and El Max Bay compared to other sites. OCP and PCB contamination is higher in the vicinity of possible input sources such as shipping, industrial activities and urban areas. PCB congener profiles indicated they were derived from more than one commercially available mixture. The ratios of commercial chlordane and heptachlor metabolites indicate historical usage; however, DDT and HCHs inputs at several locations appear to be from recent usage. The concentrations of PCBs and DDTs are similar to those observed in sediments from coastal areas of the Mediterranean Sea. Ecotoxicological risk from DDTs and PCBs is greatest in Abu Qir Bay, Alexandria Harbor, and El-Max Bay.

Introduction

Organochlorinated pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent organic pollutants (POPs). POPs are of special concern because of their toxicity, persistence, long-range transport and potential to bioaccumulate (UNEP, 2003, UNEP, 2009). Sources of POPs to the environment include industrial and agricultural activities from leakage, disposal and evaporation (e.g., Tolosa et al., 2010). In 2001, the Stockholm Convention on POPs was adopted to deal with the global pollution by these compounds (Stockholm Convention, 2001).

Sediments constitute a suitable matrix for monitoring and assessment of organochlorinated compounds (OC) in the marine environment (Gómez-Gutiérrez et al., 2007a). OCPs and PCBs are adsorbed on particulate matter and accumulate in sediments (Karickhoff et al., 1979, Baker et al., 1986). Contaminated sediments may constitute a particular threat for associated biota from bioconcentration (LeBlanc, 1995), and/or biomagnification (Thomann, 1989, Guo et al., 2008).

A number of comprehensive reports on the assessment of sources, environmental levels, transport pathways and effects of some POPs in the Mediterranean region have identified these compounds as a potential threat (Albaigés, 2005, Gómez-Gutiérrez et al., 2007a, Gómez-Gutiérrez et al., 2007b). These reports document significant geographical data gaps, particularly in the south and south-eastern basins. Albaigés (2005) noted that additional data is needed to assess the impact of point and non-point sources containing persistent pollutants for many riparian countries in the Mediterranean basin.

Industrial production, agriculture, tourism, population growth and heavy urbanization are putting increasing pressure on the Mediterranean coastal environment of Egypt. The Mediterranean coastline and coastal lakes are used for recreation and represent a significant fishery. Egypt has historically been a major producer and consumer of OCPs for agricultural purposes. Reported total usage of OCPs in Egypt are as follows: toxaphene 54,000 mt (1955–1961), endrin 10,500 mt (1961–1981), DDT 13,500 mt (1952–1971) and Lindane 21,000 mt (1952–1978) (El-Sebae et al., 1993). The main use of these OCPs was insect control, especially for cotton leafworm and bollworms. Based on the reports of their harmful effects to wildlife and humans, many OCPs have been banned or restricted since 1988 by the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture. In 1996, a Ministerial Decree prohibited the import and use of 80 pesticides including aldrin, dieldrin, endrin, chlordane, heptachlor, DDT, toxaphene, mirex, lindane, endosulfan, pentachorophenol, and heptachlor epoxide. The occurrence and fate of POPs in different biotic and abiotic compartments in the environment of Egypt has been recently reviewed (Barakat, 2004). Although the use of OCPs and PCBs has been banned in Egypt, illegal use cannot be excluded as a possible continuous source of OCs to the local environment. The main objective of this study was to investigate the concentrations, distribution and sources of OCPs and PCBs in surface sediments of selected Mediterranean coastal areas of Egypt, and to assess the potential biological risks of these contaminants.

Section snippets

Study area

The study area includes about 250 km of coastline extending from Alexandria city to Damietta estuary (Fig. 1). Twenty-six sediment samples were collected from seven sampling areas. The exact coordinates of all sampling sites are given in Table 1. Study sites were chosen to include potential areas of elevated inputs, such as El Max Bay, Alexandria Eastern Harbor, Abu Qir Bay, the mouths of the Nile River at Rosetta and Damietta, and two coastal lakes, Edku Lake and Burullus Lake. This is an

Distribution of OCs

The distributions of PCBs and various OCPs in sediment from the seven locations sampled are summarized in Table 2. Compounds identified included o,p′-DDT, p,p′-DDT and degradation products o,p′-DDD, p,p′-DDD, o,p′-DDE and p,p-DDE; chlordane related compounds (CHLs); chlorinated benzenes (CBs); α-,β-, γ-, and δ-HCH; cyclodiene pesticides (aldrin, dieldrin, endrin and endosulfan II); chloropyrifos; mirex; and pentachloroanisole. Concentrations of total PCBs included the sum of 96 individual and

Conclusions

To our knowledge, this is a first study to report the residue levels of OCs in sediment along the Mediterranean coast of Egypt and provide baseline data for future research on the assessment of these compounds in the study area. Selected OCs, PCBs, and DDTs are detected at environmentally significant concentrations in many sediments from the study area with their levels higher than other contaminants. Relatively high contamination levels of the target compounds were found in the sediment

Acknowledgement

The study was funded by the U.S.–Egypt Joint Board on Scientific and Technological Cooperation, USDA/FAS/ICD/RESD Project Number 58-3148-3-067.

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Distribution and ecological risk of organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in sediments from the Mediterranean coastal environment of Egypt

Highlights

Abstract

Introduction

Section snippets

Study area

Distribution of OCs

Conclusions

Acknowledgement

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Mar. Pollut. Bull.

Mar. Pollut. Bull.

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