Emission of Chiral Organochlorine Pesticides from Agricultural Soils in the Cornbelt Region of the U.S

Several organochlorine pesticides are chiral molecules manufactured as racemic mixtures. Past research has shown that selective degradation of pesticide enantiomers by microorganisms occurs resulting in nonracemic signatures in soils. In this work, volatilization of chiral pesticides from soil was i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental science & technology 2001-12, Vol.35 (23), p.4592-4596
Main Authors: Leone, Andi D, Amato, Sam, Falconer, Renee L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agriculture
Air Pollutants - analysis
Air pollution
Applied sciences
Atmospheric pollution
Chlorine
Dispersed sources and other
Emissions
Environmental Monitoring
Exact sciences and technology
Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated
Insecticides - analysis
PCB
Pesticides
Pollution
Pollution sources. Measurement results
Polychlorinated biphenyls
Soil Pollutants - analysis
Soils
United States
Volatilization
Zea mays
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Summary:Several organochlorine pesticides are chiral molecules manufactured as racemic mixtures. Past research has shown that selective degradation of pesticide enantiomers by microorganisms occurs resulting in nonracemic signatures in soils. In this work, volatilization of chiral pesticides from soil was investigated to determine if enantioselective breakdown in soils could be used as a source signature to track releases of chiral pesticides to the atmosphere. Air samples were taken directly above agricultural soils at several sites, and enantiomeric signatures were found to be nonracemic following patterns found in the soil. A follow up study at one site showed that for most compounds concentration decreased with increasing height above the soil, while enantiomer fractions for chiral pesticides were similar to that found in the soil, signifying the soil as a source to the air. The enantiomer fractions of ambient air samples from rural nonagricultural areas in the region were also found to be nonracemic.
ISSN:0013-936X
1520-5851
DOI:10.1021/es010992o