|
|||||
|
|
Pesticide and Herbicide Residues in Sediments and Seagrasses from the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and Queensland Coast |
|
| Authors: | David Haynes Jochen Mü ller and Steve Carter |
| Institution: | aGreat Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, P.O. Box 1379, Townsville, Qld 4810, Australia bNational Research Centre for Environmental Toxicology, 39 Kessels Road, Coopers Plains, Qld 4121, Australia cQueensland Health and Scientific Services, P.O. Box 594, Archerfield, Qld 4108, Australia |
| Abstract: | Pesticides and herbicides including organochlorine compounds have had extensive current and past application by Queensland's intensive coastal agriculture industry as well as for a wide range of domestic, public health and agricultural purposes in urban areas. The persistent nature of these types of compounds together with possible continued illegal use of banned organochlorine compounds raises the potential for continued long-term chronic exposure to plants and animals of the Great Barrier Reef. Sediment and seagrass samples were collected from 16 intertidal and 25 subtidal sampling sites between Torres Strait and Townsville, near Mackay and Gladstone, and in Hervey and Moreton Bays in 1997 and 1998 and analysed for pesticide and herbicide residues. Low levels of atrazine (0.1–0.3 μg kg?1), diuron (0.2–10.1 μg kg?1), lindane (0.08–0.19 μg kg?1), dieldrin (0.05–0.37 μg kg?1), DDT (0.05–0.26 μg kg?1), and DDE (0.05–0.26 μg kg?1) were detected in sediments and/or seagrasses. Contaminants were mainly detected in samples collected along the high rainfall, tropical coast between Townsville and Port Douglas and in Moreton Bay. Of the contaminants detected, the herbicide diuron is of most concern as the concentrations detected have some potential to impact local seagrass communities. |
| Keywords: | agricultural pollution Great Barrier Reef herbicides pesticides seagrass sediment pollution |
| 本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录！ | |