Levels and Distribution of Pollutants in the Waters of an Aquatic Ecosystem in Northern Mexico

Jesús Manuel Ochoa-Rivero, Ana Victoria Reyes-Fierro, Ma. Del Rosario Peralta-Pérez, Francisco Javier Zavala-Díaz de la Serna, Lourdes Ballinas-Casarrubias, Ivan Salmerón, Héctor Rubio-Arias and Beatriz A. Rocha-Gutiérrez
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Jesús Manuel Ochoa-Rivero: Sitio Experimental la Campana, CIRNOC, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias (INIFAP), Km. 33.3 Carretera Chihuahua-Ojinaga. Aldama, Chihuahua C.P. 32910, Mexico
Ana Victoria Reyes-Fierro: Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, Campus Universitario #2, Circuito Universitario, Chihuahua, Chihuahua C.P. 31125, Mexico
Ma. Del Rosario Peralta-Pérez: Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, Campus Universitario #2, Circuito Universitario, Chihuahua, Chihuahua C.P. 31125, Mexico
Francisco Javier Zavala-Díaz de la Serna: Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, Campus Universitario #2, Circuito Universitario, Chihuahua, Chihuahua C.P. 31125, Mexico
Lourdes Ballinas-Casarrubias: Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, Campus Universitario #2, Circuito Universitario, Chihuahua, Chihuahua C.P. 31125, Mexico
Ivan Salmerón: Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, Campus Universitario #2, Circuito Universitario, Chihuahua, Chihuahua C.P. 31125, Mexico
Héctor Rubio-Arias: Facultad de Zootecnia y Ecología, Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, Periférico. R. Almada, km. 1. Chihuahua, Chihuahua C.P. 31453, Mexico
Beatriz A. Rocha-Gutiérrez: Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, Campus Universitario #2, Circuito Universitario, Chihuahua, Chihuahua C.P. 31125, Mexico

IJERPH, 2017, vol. 14, issue 5, 1-12

Abstract: The availability of good quality water resources is essential to ensure healthy crops and livestock. The objective of this study was to evaluate the level of pollution in Bustillos Lagoon in northern Mexico. Physical-chemical parameters like sodium, chloride, sulfate, electrical conductivity, nitrates, and the pesticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) were analyzed to determine the water quality available in the lagoon. Although DDT has been banned in several countries, it is still used for agricultural purposes in Mexico and its presence in this area had not been analyzed previously. Bustillos Lagoon was divided into three zones for the evaluation: (1) industrial; (2) communal lands; and (3) agricultural. The highest concentrations of sodium (2360 mg/L) and SAR (41 meq/L) reported in the industrial zone are values exceeding the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) irrigation water quality guidelines. DDT and its metabolites were detected in all of the 21 sites analyzed, in the agricultural zone ?DDTs = 2804 ng/mL, this level is much higher than those reported for other water bodies in Mexico and around the world where DDT has been used heavily. The water in the communal zone is the least contaminated, but can only be recommended for irrigation of plants with high stress tolerance and not for crops.

Keywords: DDT; agriculture; pesticides; water; sodium adsorption ratio (SAR); wastewater; water pollution (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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