Dissipation of Permethrin in Limnocorrals

Abstract

Permethrin (3-phenoxybenzyl(1RS)-cis,trans-3-(2,2-dimethy[-3-dichlorovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyciopropanecarboxylate) applied to approximately 100-m3 enclosures (limnocorrals) in a small mesotrophic lake in Southern Ontario (47°51′25″N; 77°25′30″W) at concentrations of 500, 50, 5, and 0.5 μ∙L−1 dissipated from the water rapidly and approximated first-order kinetics in the first 8–12 d. Time taken for 50 and 90% dissipation ranged from 1.65 and 3.65 d, respectively, at 0.5 μ∙L−1 to 3.5 and 6.75 d, respectively, at 50 μ∙L−1. Inter- and intra-seasonal replication of dissipation patterns was good. Rate of dissipation varied slightly with depth, normally being slower at greater depth. Absorption of permethrin to sediments was rapid, penetration shallow, and disappearance slow. Permethrin had no effect on water chemistry but there was an increase in the Secchi disk depth in the treated limnocorrals. Dissolved inorganic carbon decreased in all limnocorrals, including controls after treatment, suggesting precipitation of calcium carbonate which may act as a scavenging agent for permethrin in the water. Limnocorrals are a useful tool for evaluating the behavior of pesticides in the aquatic system.