Unusual persistence of DDT in some western USA soils

Journal Article · Fri Jan 31 23:00:00 EST 1992 · Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00194381· OSTI ID:7235793

Hitch, R K; Day, H R ^[1]

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1. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC (United States)

Agricultural use of DDT (1,1,1-trichloro-2,2,2-bis (p-chlorophenyl) ethane) was canceled in 1972. By the late 1970's and early 1980's, the National Soils Monitoring Program of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was consistently finding higher soil residues of the degradate DDE (1,1-dichloro 2,2-bis (p-chlorophenyl) ethylene) than of parent DDT. Similarly, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) had been finding during the late 1970's that DDT and related compounds had been decreasing in birds throughout the US. During 1984 and 1985, the EPA and the agriculture departments of Texas and New Mexico, in response to the FWS, conducted soil sampling in 13 areas where contaminated birds had been collected. It was agreed that soil samples containing higher levels of DDT than DDE would serve as a possible indicator of illegal DDT use. This was an intensive soil sampling program; over 236 fields were sampled. A controversy developed as to whether high ratios of DDT and DDE might corroborate the accusations of recent illegal use of DDT products. Dell City area soils containing higher levels of DDT than of DDE became classified as suspicious soils. Soils bearing the expected higher level of DDE were dubbed as normal. To resolve the controversy, the authors, in 1989, conducted a DDT soil metabolism study with representative samples of the suspicious and normal soils. It was felt that a soil metabolism study could, once and for all, determine if there was, indeed, something unusual about the rate at which the suspicious soils degrade DDT.

• OSTI ID: 7235793
• Journal Information: Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology; (United States), Journal Name: Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology; (United States) Vol. 48:2; ISSN 0007-4861; ISSN BECTA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

560300* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AROMATICS
BIODEGRADATION
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CONTAMINATION
DDT
DECOMPOSITION
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
FEDERAL REGION VI
INSECTICIDES
LAND POLLUTION
NEW MEXICO
NORTH AMERICA
ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
PESTICIDES
POLLUTION
SAMPLING
SOILS
TEXAS
USA