Pollutants, organophosphorus compounds

The plutonium concentration in marine samples is principally due to environmental pollution caused by fallout from nuclear explosions and is generally at very low levels [75]. Environmental samples also contain microtraces of natural a emitters (uranium, thorium, and their decay products) which complicate the plutonium determinations [76]. Methods for the determination of plutonium in marine samples must therefore be very sensitive and selective. The methods reported for the chemical separation of plutonium are based on ion exchange resins [76-80] or liquid-liquid extraction with tertiary amines [81], organophosphorus compounds [82,83], and ketones [84,85]. 

Key applications Pesticides, herbicides and plant growth regulators (carbamates, glyphosate, diquat/paraquat, pyrethrins, organophosphorus compounds) Industrial pollutants (dyes, surfactants, amines, PAHs, PCBs, dioxins, phenols, aldehydes)... 

Organophosphorus compounds are significant major environmental pollutants due to their intensive use as pesticides. The modem techniques based on inhibition of cholinesterase enzyme activity are discussed. Potentiometric electrodes based on detection of cholinesterase inhibition by analytes have been developed. The detection of cholinesterase activity is based on the novel pindple of molecular transduction. Immobilized peroxidase acting as the molecular transducer, catalyzes the electroreduction of hydrogen peroxide by direct (mediatorless) electron transfer. The sensing element consists of a carbon based electrode containing an assembly of co-immobilized enzymes cholinesterase, choline oxidase and peroxidase. 

Accelerated solvent extraction is a new technique for the extraction of a range of organic pollutants from soils and related material. The technique is based on the use of a solvent or combination of solvents to extract organic pollutants at elevated pressure and temperature from a solid matrix. The range of organic pollutants for which the technique is proposed includes semivolatile compounds, organochlorine pesticides, organophosphorus pesticides, chlorinated herbicides, polychlorinated biphenyls and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons [53-56],... 

Insect resistance and environmental pollution due to the repeated application of persistent synthetic chemical insecticides have led to an Increased interest in the discovery of new chemicals with which to control Insect pests. Synthetic insecticides, including chlorinated hydrocarbons, organophosphorus esters, carbamates, and synthetic pyrethroids, will continue to contribute greatly to the increases in the world food production realized over the past few decades. The dollar benefit of these chemicals has been estimated at about 4 per 1 cost (JJ. Nevertheless, the repeated and continuous annual use in the United States of almost 400 million pounds of these chemicals, predominantly in the mass agricultural insecticide market (2), has become problematic. Many key species of insect pests have become resistant to these chemicals, while a number of secondary species now thrive due to the decimation of their natural enemies by these nonspecific neurotoxic insecticides. Additionally, these compounds sometimes persist in the environment as toxic residues, well beyond the time of their Intended use. New chemicals are therefore needed which are not only effective pest... 

Pesticides are also a major source of concern as water and soil pollutants. Because of their stability and persistence, the most hazardous pesticides are the organochlorine compounds such as DDT, aldrin, dieldrin, and chlordane. Persistent pesticides can accumulate in food chains for example, shrimp and fish can concentrate some pesticides as much as 1000- to 10,000-fold. This bioaccumulation has been well documented with the pesticide DDT, which is now banned in many parts of the world. In contrast to the persistent insecticides, the organophosphorus (OP) pesticides, such as malathion, and the carbamates, such as carbaryl, are short-lived and generally persist for only a few weeks to a few months. Thus these compounds do not usually present as serious a problem as the earlier insecticides. Herbicides, because of the large quantity used, are also of concern as potential toxic pollutants. Pesticides are discussed in more detail in Chapter 5. 

Apart from gases and oil, the most likely pollutants that will need to be determined are pesticides, solvents, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The pesticides may be either insecticides or herbicides and are usually organochlorine, organophosphorus or organonitrogen compounds. 

In compliance with national and international directives, regular environmental monitoring is demanded, which requires appropriate analytical methods for fast and sensitive detection of relevant compounds such as pesticides (organophosphorus, carbamates, organochlorine, etc.), phenols, BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and total xylenes and o-, m- and p-xylene) and priority pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and other endocrine disrupting compounds. 

Phenolic compounds are ubiquitous in the environment coming from different sources such as manufacturing processes used in the plastic, dye, drug, antioxidant, and pesticide industries. Chloro- and nitrophenols are the main degradation products of many chlorinated phenoxy acid and organophosphorus pesticides, respectively [1,2]. These compounds are of particular interest and concern to the environment because they are toxic to most aquatic organisms [3,4]. Moreover, they affect the taste and odor of both water and fish even at very low concentrations of phenolic compoimds in water [5]. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has listed 11 phenols as priority pollutants [6]. 

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