Monitoring of pesticides residues in northwestern Mexico rivers

Abstract

In Mexico, use of river water for households, agriculture and industry has adversely affected aquatic environment through chemical and microbial contamination. The aim of this study was to determine pesticide residues levels in water of rivers from central Sinaloa State, Northwestern Mexico. In samples obtained from July 2008 to June 2009 pesticides residues detected were lindane, heptachlor, endosulfan, dicloro difenil tricloroetano (DDT), diazinon, chlorpyrifos, permethrin, methyl parathion, cyromazine, ethion, carbofenothion, lambda cyhalotrine, pyrimicarb, malathion and aldrin. None exceeded water quality ecological criteria or those established by US Environmental Protection Agency. Comparatively low concentrations and frequencies suggest that pesticide contamination derived from runoffs toward river from contaminated soil particles and not from use of pesticides in intensive agriculture of region.