A Pesticide Survey in Soil, Water and Foodstuffs from Central Romania

We measured the contamination levels with a broad gamma of pesticides in water, soil and foodstuff from Central Romania. Organochlorine, triazine, carbamate, phenoxy acid and organophosphorus pesticides were analyzed in water, soil and foodstuffs samples. Among the most detected pollutants, we found pesticides prohibited in the European Union, such as isomers of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCHs) and DDT, together with their metabolization products. Detectable concentrations of diazinon (20 ng/l), dichlorvos (20 ng/l) and α-HCH were measured in rivers. Drinking water samples from fountains and tap-water also contained α-HCH (6 ng/L) and γ-HCH (4 ng/L). The DDT and DDE concentrations in soil varied between 20 μg/kg and 50 μg/kg. Concentrations of α-HCH and β-HCH in foodstuffs were 248 μg/kg and 78.3 μg/kg, respectively, both exceeded the Romanian reference value (100 μg/kg for α-HCH and 50 μg/kg for β-HCH). Organochlorines, such as DDT and its metabolization product DDE, were present in almost all foodstuff samples (except for honey), and high values (222 μg/kg for DDT and 35.3 μg/kg for DDE) were measured in eggs.