Premium
Soil—air exchange model of persistent pesticides in the United States cotton belt
Author(s) -
Harner Tom,
Bidleman Terry F.,
Jantunen Liisa M. M.,
Mackay Don
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
environmental toxicology and chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1552-8618
pISSN - 0730-7268
DOI - 10.1002/etc.5620200728
Subject(s) - toxaphene , chlordane , dieldrin , environmental chemistry , lindane , pesticide , soil water , environmental science , fugacity , persistent organic pollutant , chemistry , atmosphere (unit) , air pollution , agronomy , hydrocarbon , soil science , meteorology , biology , geography , organic chemistry
Measurements of organochlorine pesticides (lindane, cis ‐chlordane [CC], trans ‐chlordane [TC], trans ‐nonachlor [TN]), dieldrin, p,p ′‐dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene [DDE], and toxaphene) in Alabama, USA, air and soil were used to assess the soil‐air equilibrium status and to identify compounds with significant contributions to observed air burdens. Of the compounds tested, p,p ′‐DDE and toxaphene showed a significant potential for outgasing, followed by dieldrin and trans ‐nonachlor, which showed moderate outgasing potentials. Lindane, cis ‐chlordane, and trans ‐chlordane were near soil‐air equilibrium. A fugacity‐based, multilayered soil‐air exchange model was used to predict temporal trends of chemical in air and soil resulting from reemission of soil residues to a presumed clean atmosphere (maximum emission scenario). Results showed that p,p ′‐DDE and toxaphene accounted for up to 50% of the observed air burden and that approximately 200 to 600 kg of p,p ′‐DDE and 3,000 to 11,000 kg of toxaphene are released to the atmosphere each year by soils in Alabama (area = 1.23 × 10 11 m 2 ). High annual net fluxes were also predicted for dieldrin and trans ‐nonachlor (300–1,100 kg and 150–500 kg, respectively), but these only account for up to ∼20% of their observed air burdens.