scholarly journals Assessment of Pesticide Residue Content in Polish Agricultural Soils

Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 587 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Ukalska-Jaruga ◽  
Bożena Smreczak ◽  
Grzegorz Siebielec

Pesticides belong to a group of xenobiotics harmful to humans and wildlife, whose fate and activity depends on their susceptibility to degradation. Therefore, the monitoring of their residue level in agricultural soils is very important because it provides very valuable information on the actual level of soil contamination and environmental risk resulting from their application. The aim of this study was to evaluate contemporary concentrations of organochlorine (OCPs) and non-chlorinated pesticides (NCPs) in arable soils of Poland as an example of Central and Eastern European countries. The results were assessed in relation to Polish regulations, which are more restrictive compared to those of other European countries. The sampling area covered the territory of arable lands in Poland (216 sampling points). The distribution of sampling points aimed to reflect different geographical districts, conditions of agricultural production, and various soil properties. The collected soil samples were extracted with organic solvents in an accelerated solvent extractor (ASE 2000). The OCPs, including α-HCH, β-HCH, γ-HCH, and p,p’DDT, p,p’DDE, and p,p’DDD, were extracted with a hexane/acetone mixture (70:30 v/v) and determined by gas chromatography with an electron capture detector (GC-μECD). NCPs included atrazine, carbaryl, and carbofuran were extracted with a dichloromethane/acetone mixture (50:50 v/v), while maneb was extracted by intensive shaking the sample with acetone (1:1 v/v) and ethylenediamine-tertraacetic acid. The NCPs were identified by a dual mass- spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). The total content of individual OCPs ranged from 0.61 to 1031.64 µg kg−1, while the NCP concentrations were significantly lower, from 0.01 to 43.92 µg kg−1. DDTs were detected in all soils samples (p,p’DDD (23.60 µg kg−1) > p,p’DDT (18.23 µg kg−1) > p,p’DDE (4.06 µg kg−1), while HCHs were only in 4% of the analyzed samples (β-HCH (339.55 µg kg−1) > α-HCH (96.96 µg kg−1) > γ-HCH (3.04 µg kg−1)), but in higher values than DDTs. Among NCPs, higher concentration was observed for carbaryl (<0.01–28.07 µg kg−1) and atrazine (<0.01–15.85 µg kg−1), while the lower for carbofuran (<0.01–0.54 µg kg−1). Maneb was not detected in analyzed soils. Assessment of the level of soil pollution based on Polish regulations indicated that several percentages of the samples exceeded the criterion for OCPs, such as ∑3DDTs (14 samples; 6.5% of soils) and HCH congeners (α-HCH in one sample; 0.5% of soils), while NCP concentration, such as for atrazine, carbaryl and carbofuran were below the permissible levels or were not detected in the analyzed soils, e.g., maneb. The obtained results indicated that residues of the analyzed pesticides originate from historical agricultural deposition and potentially do not pose a direct threat to human and animal health. The behavior and persistence of pesticides in the soils depend on their properties. Significantly lower NCP concentration in the soils resulted from their lower hydrophobicity and higher susceptibility to leaching into the soil profile. OCPs are characterized by a high half-life time, which affect their significantly higher persistence in soils resulting from affinity to the soil organic phase.

2014 ◽  
Vol 155 (21) ◽  
pp. 833-837 ◽  
Author(s):  
József Marton ◽  
Attila Pandúr ◽  
Emese Pék ◽  
Krisztina Deutsch ◽  
Bálint Bánfai ◽  
...  

Introduction: Better knowledge and skills of basic life support can save millions of lives each year in Europe. Aim: The aim of this study was to measure the knowledge about basic life support in European students. Method: From 13 European countries 1527 volunteer participated in the survey. The questionnaire consisted of socio-demographic questions and knowledge regarding basic life support. The maximum possible score was 18. Results: Those participants who had basic life support training earned 11.91 points, while those who had not participated in lifesaving education had 9.6 points (p<0.001). Participants from former socialist Eastern European countries reached 10.13 points, while Western Europeans had average 10.85 points (p<0.001). The best results were detected among the Swedish students, and the worst among the Belgians. Conclusions: Based on the results, there are significant differences in the knowledge about basic life support between students from different European countries. Western European youth, and those who were trained had better performance. Orv. Hetil., 2014, 155(21), 833–837.


2017 ◽  
pp. 38-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ewa Cieślik

The paper evaluates Central and Eastern European countries’ (CEEs) location in global vertical specialization (global value chains, GVCs). To locate each country in global value chains (upstream or downstream segment/market) and to compare them with the selected countries, a very selective methodology was adopted. We concluded that (a) CEE countries differ in the levels of their participation in production linkages. Countries that have stronger links with Western European countries, especially with Germany, are more integrated; (b) a large share of the CEE countries’ gross exports passes through Western European GVCs; (c) most exporters in Central and Eastern Europe are positioned in the downstream segments of production rather than in the upstream markets. JEL classification: F14, F15.


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