A study on Environmental Pollution With Pesticides and Heavy Metals

Abstract

The leaching behavior of the two 1, 3, 5-triazines ametryn and atrazine in their active ingredient and formulation forms in calcareous, clay and sandy soil columns as well as their degradation under 5 pH levels was studied under laboratory conditions. The order of mobility of the four tested herbicides in soils always as follows: sandy> calcareous > clay soil. Also, it was found that the degradation of these herbicides in aqueous solution was mainly depended on the form of the applied herbicide and the pH level they work under. The contamination levels ofCd, Co, Ni and Pb as well as ametryn and atrazine herbicides were measured in a 96 samples of whole body and filleted bolti fish (l_ilapia nilotica) and catfish (Clarias lazero) collected from Greater Cairo during the Peroid from November 1997 until April 1998. Data indicated that the concentration of such contaminants and their relative abundance were varied between the two fish species studied. This may be accounted for by the environmental conditions, fish species, age, sex, different feeding habits, the nature of the contaminant and the ability of the fish species to excrete it.