Preliminary Studies of Organochlorine Pesticides (OCPs) in Sediment, Water and Fish Samples from Ethiope River, Abraka Axis, Southern Nigeria

Selected persistent organochlorine pollutants, including DDT and its metabolites, hexachlorobenzene, dieldrin, Aldrin, heptachlor, HCH as well as some of their isomers were determined in water, sediment and fish samples from the Ethiope River in Southern Nigeria. Twenty organochlorine pesticides were detected in both seasons from October 2012 – September 2013. Results revealed ∑HCH to be 0.620µg/L (water), 33 ng/g (sediment) and 29.00 ng/g (fish) for the rainy season while concentrations of 0.170 µg/L (water), 14 ng/g (sediment) and 28.00 ng/g (fish) were obtained for the dry season. 0.05–0.15 ng/g for aldrin, 0.12–5.8 ng/g for dieldrin, 0.22–0.64 ng/g for endrin, 0.24–6.37 ng/g for endosulfan and 0.21–8.81 ng/g for ΣDDT (p, p` -DDD, p, p` -DDE, p, p` -DDT). Among the OCPs, ∑HCH, endosulfan and PDDT were the most dominant compounds in the river sediments. γ- HCH was the most frequent detected compound in all the samples from this river. Among the cyclodiene compounds, aldrin was in abundance in most of the sediments, water and fish samples. γ-HCH, γ-HCH and HCB contributed this highest value for the water, sediment and fish sample respectively in the rainy season while aldrin, endrin and HCB were the highest contributors to the ΣOCPs to the mean of water, sediment and fish respectively. Hazard quotient and bioaccumulation analysis carried out on the fish sample revealed that the fishes were heavily contaminated with values >1 for both seasons which possess a possibility for ecological concern.