Sustainable Water Monitoring via Analytical Techniques and Protocols Applied in the Assessment of Organochlorine Pesticides

Abstract

Water contamination with organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) is strongly linked to agricultural practices, and it still represents an environmental issue, despite the OCPs bans in many countries and despite the reported sustainable remediation technologies for their removal. Considering the environmental persistence of OCPs, the imbalances produced in the ecosystem, and the bioaccumulation tendency in living organisms through the food chain, the monitoring of OCPs and of their metabolites has crucial importance. The accuracy of the results obtained is strongly connected to the selection of reliable and accurate analytical procedures, especially considering the multitude of challenges related to OCP quantification. The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of the analytical techniques and protocols reported for OCP assessment in water, and to offer scientists a presentation of the current state of the literature on this subject. Nevertheless, it must be considered that each method has advantages and disadvantages, and, in most cases, the protocols reported in the literature must be adapted and improved. In addition, the levels of OCPs identified in surface water, groundwater, and rainwater have been reviewed. This review paper is directly connected to sustainability practices, since environmental sustainability is related to the responsibility to conserve natural resources and to prevent pollution, and for scientists, these objectives are fulfilled by conducting chemical analyses to track and quantify pollutants, as part of environmental studies.