Determination of Pesticides in Soybean Seeds Incorrectly Discarded Near a Spring of the Paranaíba River, GO‐Brazil

The objective of this research was to evaluate the contamination of pesticides of carbamate and benzimidazole classes in soil, water and soybean seeds, incorrectly discarded near a spring in the state of Goiás‐Brazil. The Solid‐Liquid and Liquid‐Liquid Extraction with Low Temperature Partition (SLE/LTP or LLE/LTP) methods were used for pesticide extraction and the analyses were performed by HPLC‐UV. A high resolution mass spectrometer was used to confirm the identity of the compounds present in the seeds. The results showed that the soybeans were treated with the pesticide carbendazim and the dosage was three times higher than established by Brazilian legislation. In the soil and water analyzed there was no presence of the pesticides researched, nor of the carbendazim detected in the seeds. Since this was an environmental crime due to incorrect disposal, it is not known how long ago it occurred. Thus, depending on how long the seeds had been exposed there, the pesticide could have leached out, and caused contamination in the spring and soil. Thus, we conclude that the incorrect disposal of seeds treated with pesticides can be a risk to the permanence of life on the site.