Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Simazine”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 217 records · Page 12Linked to original sources

The impairment of mobility and development in freshwater snails (Physa fontinalis and Lymnaea stagnalis) caused by herbicides.

1. The pulmonate freshwater snails Physa and Lymnaea and the earthworms Eisenia and Lumbricus can take up and concentrate a carbamate herbicide (chlorpropham). 2. The mobility of freshwater snails was diminished in the presence of the herbicides chlorpropham (carbamate), cycloate (thiocarbamate), pentanochlor (amide) and chloroxurone (urea derivate). 3. The egg-assemblies of Lymnaea stagnalis turned out to be suitable objects for testing the influences of herbicides upon embryonic development. 4. In the presence of chlorpropham, chloroxurone, cycloate, propanil, simazine and terbutryne, all applied in concentrations lower than in practical use, the period of egg-maturing was delayed and the total number of dead embryos increased. 5. Developing snail eggs were very sensitive towards triazine herbicides (simazine, terbutryne) reflecting in an ED50-value lower than 10(-7) M. 6. Similar herbicidal-induced effects suggested that the developing stages of snail embryos may be suitable models for the ecologically more important but experimentally less accessible earthworms.

Animals↗

Determination of commonly used polar herbicides in agricultural drainage waters in Australia by HPLC.

The present study describes the application of different extraction techniques for the preconcentration of ten commonly found acidic and non-acidic polar herbicides (2,4-D, atrazine, bensulfuron-methyl, clomazone, dicamba, diuron, MCPA, metolachlor, simazine and triclopyr) in the aqueous environment. Liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) with dichloromethane, solid-phase extraction (SPE) using Oasis HLB cartridges or SBD-XC Empore disks were compared for extraction efficiency of these herbicides in different matrices, especially water samples from contaminated agricultural drainage water containing high concentrations of particulate matter. Herbicides were separated and quantified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with an ultraviolet detector. SPE using SDB-XC Empore disks was applied to determine target herbicides in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area (NSW, Australia) during a two-week survey from October 2005 to November 2005. The daily aqueous concentrations of herbicides from 24-h composite samples detected at two sites increased after run-off from a storm event and were in the range of: 0.1-17.8 microg l(-1), < 0.1-0.9 microg l(-1) and 0.2-17.8 microg l(-1) at site 1; < 0.1-3.5 microg l(-1), < 0.1-0.2 microg l(-1) and < 0.2-3.2 microg l(-1) at site 2 for simazine, atrazine and diuron, respectively.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗

Monitoring of estrogens, pesticides and bisphenol A in natural waters and drinking water treatment plants by solid-phase extraction-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

A multi-residue analytical method has been developed for the determination of various classes of selected endocrine disruptors. This method allows the simultaneous extraction and quantification of different estrogens (estradiol, estrone, estriol, estradiol-17-glucuronide, estradiol diacetate, estrone-3-sulfate, ethynyl estradiol and diethylstilbestrol), pesticides (atrazine, simazine, desethylatrazine, isoproturon and diuron), and bisphenol A in natural waters. In the method developed, 500 ml of water are preconcentrated on LiChrolut RP-18 cartridges. Further analysis is carried out by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) using atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation (APCI) in the positive ion mode for determination of pesticides and electrospray in the negative ionisation mode for determination of estrogens and bisphenol A. Recoveries for most compounds were between 90 and 119%, except for bisphenol A (81%) and diethylstilbestrol (70%), with relative standard deviations below 20%. Limits of detection ranged between 2 and 15 ng/l. The method was used to study the occurrence of the selected pollutants in surface and groundwater used for abstraction of drinking water in a waterworks and to evaluate the removal efficiency of the different water treatments applied. Water samples from the river, the aquifer, and after each treatment stage (sand filtration, ozonation, activated carbon filtration and post-chlorination) were taken monthly from February to August of 2002. The presence in river water of atrazine, simazine, diuron and bisphenol A were relatively frequent at concentrations usually below 0.1 microg/l. Lower levels, below 0.02 microg/l, were usual for isoproturon. Estrone-3-sulfate and estrone were detected occasionally in the river. Most of the compounds were completely removed during the water treatment, especially after activated carbon filtration.

Benzhydryl Compounds↗

Improved single-drop microextraction for high sensitive analysis.

This paper described a simple approach to prepare a small bell-mouthed extraction device for single-drop microextraction (SDME). Analytical sensitivity was improved by increasing the suspended acceptor volume. Because of the increased contact area and the rough inner surface of the extraction device, the stability of drop was markedly increased. The merits of the proposed method were demonstrated by using 1-octanol as extractant and with cyanazine, simazine and atrazine as model compounds. The related parameters and the effect of humic acid were systematically investigated. Under the optimized extraction conditions, the linear range, detection limit (S/N=3) and precision (RSD, n=6) were 0.2-50, 0.06microgL-1, 5.7% for cyanazine, 0.1-25, 0.03microgL-1, 6.7% for simazine, and 0.15-37.5, 0.04microgL-1, 5.0% for atrazine, respectively. The established method was applied to determine the target compounds in four real water samples, and the satisfactory spiked recoveries at two concentration levels were obtained. Moreover, the comparison of the proposed SDME with the traditional SDME was performed. These results indicated that the proposed improvement made SDME be a competitive analytical tool and an alternative of the traditional methods for the analysis of organic pollutants at trace level.

Analytic Sample Preparation Methods↗

The combined antiandrogenic effects of five commonly used pesticides.

In this study, mixture effects of five dissimilarly acting pesticides were analyzed for antiandrogenic effects in vitro and in vivo. Deltamethrin, methiocarb, prochloraz, simazine, and tribenuron-methyl are all commonly used for agricultural and horticultural purposes. Concentration-response curves for the inhibition of R1881-induced transcriptional activity of the androgen receptor (AR) in vitro of each pesticide alone and in an equimolar mixture were obtained. The IC25 values for deltamethrin, methiocarb, prochloraz, and the mixture were 5.8, 5.8, 3.5, and 7.5 microM, respectively. Simazine and tribenuron-methyl were ineffective. Applying the isobole method resulted in an isobole coefficient of 0.94 at IC25 for the effect of the mixture, indicating additive effects of the compounds. Comparison of observed effects and effects calculated by assuming additivity also strongly indicated additive effects of the pesticides in vitro. In vivo, each of the five pesticides and a mixture of the pesticides were tested for antiandrogenic effects in castrated testosterone-treated Wistar rats. The mixture induced a significant change of weights of the levator ani/bulbocavernosus muscle and adrenal glands. Changes in gene expression in ventral prostates were observed as distinct effects on levels of ornithin decarboxylase (ODC) mRNA and effects on levels of prostate binding protein subunit C3 (PBP C3) mRNA. No pesticide-induced effect on the level of testosterone-repressed prostatic message 2 (TRPM-2) mRNA was observed, whereas flutamide increased TRPM-2 levels. In conclusion, the pesticides were found to act additively in vitro. In vivo, the organ weight changes indicated that the pesticides had an accumulating effect that was not observed for the individual pesticides. Several pesticide-induced gene expression changes were observed, indicating that these are either very sensitive antiandrogenic end-points or that these changes are induced by a pathway not related to AR.

Androgen Antagonists↗

Determination of pesticides in honey by ultrasonic solvent extraction and thin-layer chromatography.

A rapid method for quantitative determination of atrazine and simazine in honey samples was investigated. The procedure was based on the extraction of pesticides by sonication with benzene:water = 1:1 (v/v) mixture, thin-layer chromatographic separation and quantification by CAMAG Video Documentation system in conjunction with the Reprostar 3. The extraction procedure was optimized with regard to the amount of solvent, duration of sonication and the number of extraction steps. The apparent recovery of pesticides from honey was 92.3 +/- 2.4 for atrazine and 94.2 +/- 2.8 for simazine, when they were extracted in three steps for 20 min using 20 ml of solvent. Ultrasonic solvent extraction was compared with traditional shake-flask extraction method.

Chromatography, Thin Layer↗

Application of liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry combined with photodiode array detection and tandem mass spectrometry for monitoring pesticides in surface waters.

Liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection (LC-DAD) and liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry (LC-MS) are two techniques that have been widely used in monitoring pesticides and their degradation products in the environment. However, the application of liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) for such purposes, once considered too costly, is now gaining considerable ground. In this study, we compare these methods for the multi-residue analysis of pesticides in surface waters collected from the central and southeastern regions of France, and from the St. Lawrence River in Canada. Forty-eight pesticides belonging to eight different classes (triazine, amide, phenylurea, triazole, triazinone, benzimidazole, morpholine, phenoxyalkanoic), along with some of their degradation products, were monitored on a regular basis in the surface waters. For LC-MS, we used the electrospray ionization (ESI) interface in the negative ionization mode on acidic pesticides (phenoxyalkanoic, sulfonylurea), and the atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) interface in the positive ionization mode on the remaining chemicals. Different extraction techniques were employed, including liquid-liquid extraction with dichloromethane, and solid-phase extraction using C18-bonded silica and graphitized carbon black cartridges. Eleven of the target chemicals (desethylatrazine, desisopropylatrazine, atrazine, simazine, terbuthylazine, metolachlor, carbendazime, bentazone, penconazole, diuron and isoproturon) were detected by LC-MS at concentrations ranging from 20 to 900 ng/l in the surface waters from France, and six pesticides (atrazine, desethylatrazine, desisopropylatrazine, cyanazine, simazine and metolachlor) were detected by LC-MS and LC-MS-MS at concentrations ranging from 3 to 52 ng/l in the samples drawn from the St. Lawrence River. There was good correlation between the LC-DAD and LC-MS techniques for 60 samples. The slope of the curves expressing the relationship between the results obtained with LC-DAD versus those obtained by LC-MS was near 1, with a correlation coefficient (r) of over 0.93. The identification potential of the LC-MS technique, however, was greater than that of the LC-DAD; its mass spectra, mainly reflecting the pseudomolecular ion resulting from a protonation or a deprotonation of the molecule, was rich in information. The LC-MS-MS technique with ion trap detectors, tested against the LC-MS on 10 surface water samples, gave results that correlated well with the LC-MS results, albeit generating mass spectra that yielded far more information about the structure of unknown substances. The sensitivity of the LC-MS-MS was equivalent to the selected ion monitoring (SIM) acquisition mode in LC-MS. The detection limits of the target pesticides ranged from 20 to 100 ng/l for the LC-MS technique (under full scan acquisition), and from 2 to 6 ng/l for LC-MS-MS. These limits were improved by a factor of almost 10 by increasing the sample volume to 10 l.

Chromatography, Liquid↗

Monitoring of priority pesticides and other organic pollutants in river water from portugal by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry.

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry (LC-APCI-MS) were optimized and applied for the trace-level determination of 42 priority pesticides and 33 priority organic pollutants from European Union Directive EC 76/464. First, off-line solid-phase extraction of 200 ml of river water using an OASIS solid-phase extraction cartridge, followed by GC-MS was used. Next, selected samples that were positive to GC-MS were analyzed by LC-APCI-MS in order to detect further polar byproducts or to improve the determination of previously detected polar analytes. The transformation products of triazine pesticides like deethylatrazine (DEA) and deisopropylatrazine (DIA) and compounds such as diuron and several chlorophenols were positively identified by LC-APCI-MS. The present methodology has also been used for searching for new analytes not included in the EC 76/464 list, like Irgarol, DEA and DIA. In addition it was applied to target pollutants in 43 river water samples from Portugal during a pilot survey from April to July 1999. Atrazine followed by simazine and 2,4,6-trichlorophenol were the most ubiquitous compounds detected in this area. The levels detected of the different compounds were in the range of: 0.01-2.73 microg/l, 0.05-0.74 microg/l, 0.02-1.65 microg/l, 0.02-5.43 microg/l, 0.01-0.40 microg/l, 0.01-0.26 microg/l, 0.02-0.61 microg/l, 0.01-3.90 microg/l, 0.01-1.24 microg/l, 0.02-2.3 microg/l, 0.01-0.13 microg/l and 0.01-0.5 microg/l for atrazine, simazine, terbuthylazine, alachlor, metolachlor, Irgarol, propanil; tributhylphosphate, diuron, 2,4,6-trichlorophenol, deisopropylatrazine and deethylatrazine, respectively.

Atmospheric Pressure↗

On the signal response of various pesticides in electrospray and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization depending on the flow-rate of eluent applied in liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

The API-MS signal response of several pesticides (atrazine, simazine, isoproturon, diuron, chlorfenvinphos, chlorpyrifos, alachlor, trifluralin) depending on the flow-rate of eluent entering the MS interface was investigated. The investigations were based on API-MS-MS analyses of standard pesticide mixtures in the flow injection mode (FIA) at systematically varied eluent flow-rates using both an ESI interface (Turboionspray) and a heated nebulizer type APCI source. In the result, the individual compounds included in this study showed significant differences in their signal response behaviour depending on the flow-rate of eluent applied. The most hydrophobic compounds among the investigated pesticides (chlorpyrifos and trifluralin) showed drastic losses of sensitivity with increasing eluent flow-rate in both ESI and APCI, while more hydrophilic compounds like atrazine, simazine and isoproturon showed the expected signal response (concentration-sensitive in ESI, mass-flow-sensitive in APCI) at least within a certain range of flow-rates (200-600 microl/min in ESI, 200-2000 microl/min in APCI). These findings lead to the conclusion that application of a programmed HPLC eluent flow-rate may be advantageous to achieve maximum sensitivity of API-MS detection for all pesticides of interest. This is exemplified by the implementation of a flow gradient into an online SPE-HPLC-APCI-MS/MS method for improved analysis of pesticides in drinking water.

Atmospheric Pressure↗

Effects of selected herbicides on cytokine production in vitro.

To evaluate possible deleterious effects of commonly used herbicides on leukocytes, cytokine production was selected as a sensitive indicator. After in vitro exposure of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells from normal donors, the production of all 3 cytokines tested--interferon-gamma (a type 1 cytokine), interleukin-5 (a type 2 cytokine) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (an inflammatory cytokine)--was impaired by up to 70, 50 and 70% respectively in a concentration-dependent manner in cultures exposed to atrazine (0.03-3 microM in 1% dimethylsulfoxide, DMSO). The effect paralleled that seen with dexamethasone, a known immunosuppressive agent. Other pesticides also dissolved in DMSO--mecoprop, simazine or MCPA (each up to 1 microM)--or dissolved in phosphate-buffered saline--diuron (up to 1 microM), isoproturon (up to 3 microM), metoxuron (up to 8 microM) or metamitron (up to 80 microM)--showed no concentration-related effects on cytokine production. There was, however, an inhibition of IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha production by simazine, metoxuron and mecoprop and of all three cytokines tested by diuron. MCPA (0.01 and 0.1 microM) stimulated the production of TNF-alpha. Thus, exposure to herbicides leading to plasma levels in the micromolar range induces imbalance in cytokine production.

Culture Media, Serum-Free↗

Transformation of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and 14C-labelled organic contaminants during composting of municipal biowaste.

Composting of municipal biowaste in the presence of 14C-labelled organic contaminants was studied in an attempt to characterize the mobilization potential of dissolved organic matter (DOM) for hydrophobic contaminants. The properties and transformation of DOM extracted from municipal biowaste compost with 10 mM KCl at six stages during 370 days of composting were investigated. DOM was fractionated into molecular weight fractions by ultrafiltration, and DOM structure was studied using CPMAS 13C-NMR- and UV-spectroscopy. The distribution of 14C-labelled model substances (DEHP, pyrene, simazine) upon molecular weight fractions was investigated by ultrafiltration, and association to DOM was studied performing flocculation experiments. The binding capacity of DOM for the model substances was of secondary influence for the mobilization because the intense biochemical reactions during composting pre-dominated the fate of the substances. Composting favoured the degradation of model substances to polar metabolites and supported their binding to the DOM matrix. DEHP and simazine were mainly found in the low- to medium-molecular DOM fraction and showed a small amount of DOM-associated radioactivity (approx. 10%). Pyrene and its metabolites had high affinities to high-molecular DOM. However, a direct relationship between DOM-quality and enhancement of pyrene solubility was not visible. After 120 days of composting DOM showed the highest binding capacity for hydrophobic contaminants.

Biodegradation, Environmental↗

Triazines facilitate neurotransmitter release of synaptic terminals located in hearts of frog (Rana ridibunda) and honeybee (Apis mellifera) and in the ventral nerve cord of a beetle (Tenebrio molitor).

Three triazine herbicides, atrazine, simazine and metribuzine, and some of their major metabolites (cyanuric acid and 6-azauracil) were investigated for their action on synaptic terminals using three different isolated tissue preparations from the atria of the frog, Rana ridibunda, the heart of the honeybee, Apis mellifera macedonica, and the ventral nerve cord of the beetle, Tenebrio molitor. The results indicate that triazines facilitate the release of neurotransmitters from nerve terminals, as already reported for the mammalian central nervous system. The no observed effect concentration, the maximum concentration of the herbicide diluted in the saline that has no effect on the physiological properties of the isolated tissue, was estimated for each individual preparation. According to their relative potency, the three triazines tested can be ranked as follows: atrazine (cyanuric acid), simazine>metribuzine (6-azauracil). The action of these compounds on the cholinergic (amphibians, insects), adrenergic (amphibian) and octopaminergic (insects) synaptic terminals is discussed.

Animals↗

Miniaturization of a homogeneous fluorescence immunoassay based on energy transfer using nanotiter plates as high-density sample carriers.

The miniaturization of a homogeneous competitive immunoassay to a final assay volume of 70 nL is described. As the sample carrier, disposable plastic nanotiter plates (NTP) with dimensions of 2 x 2 cm2 containing 25 x 25 wells, corresponding to approximately 15,000 wells on a traditional 96-well microtiter plate footprint, were used. Sample handling was accomplished by a piezoelectrically actuated micropipet. To reduce evaporation while pipetting the assays, the NTP was handled in a closed humid chamber and cooled to the point of condensation. To avoid washing steps, a homogeneous assay was developed that was based on energy-transfer (ET). As a model system, an antibody-based assay for the detection of the environmentally relevant compound, simazine, in drinking water was chosen. Antibodies were labeled with the long-wavelength-excitable sulfoindocyanine dye Cy5 (donor), and a tracer was synthesized by labeling BSA with a triazine derivative and the acceptor dye Cy5.5. At low analyte concentrations, the tracer was preferably bound to the antibody binding sites. As a result of the close proximity of Cy5.5 and Cy5, an efficient quenching of the Cy5 fluorescence occurred. Higher analyte concentrations led to a progressive binding of the analyte to the antibody binding sites. The increased Cy5 fluorescence was determined by using a scanning laser-induced fluorescence detector. The limit of detection (LOD), using an antibody concentration of 20 nM, was 0.32 microg/L, or 1.11 x 10(-16) mol of simazine. In comparison, the LOD of the 96-well microtiter-plate-based ET immunoassay (micro-ETIA) was 0.15 microg/L, or 1.87 x 10(-13) mol. The LOD of the optimized micro-ETIA at 1 nM IgG, was 0.01 microg/L.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

Molecular recognition in a propazine-imprinted polymer and its application to the determination of triazines in environmental samples.

An analytical methodology for the determination of triazines in environmental samples incorporating a molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) process using a propazine-imprinted polymer was developed. Two different polymers were prepared using acetonitrile or toluene as porogen, and their optimum loading, washing, and elution conditions were established. Although both polymers were able to recognize several chlorotriazines (propazine, atrazine, simazine, desethylatrazine, and desisopropylatrazine), the polymer prepared in toluene showed the best performance and was also capable of recognizing a methylthiotriazine (prometryn). A binding study carried out in this polymer demonstrated that it possesses heterogeneous binding sites with different binding abilities. From this study, it was also concluded that desethylatrazine and desisopropylatrazine displace the other triazines at high concentrations, including the template molecule. The accuracy and selectivity of the MISPE process developed was verified using a certified reference material for drinking water containing atrazine and simazine among other commonly used pesticides. Finally, the MISPE procedure was successfully applied to the cleanup of drinking and groundwater, soil, and corn sample extracts, and the triazines were determined by micellar electrokinetic chromatography.

Chromatography, Micellar Electrokinetic Capillary↗

Coupled-column liquid chromatography applied to the trace-level determination of triazine herbicides and some of their metabolites in water samples.

In the present work, a study is reported of the potential of coupled-column liquid chromatography (LC) applied to the determination of triazine residues in environmental water samples. For this purpose, two different techniques have been compared: on-line trace enrichment followed by LC (SPE-LC) and coupled-column liquid chromatography (LC-LC). First, a completely automated liquid chromatographic method based on on-line trace enrichment in a prepacked precolumn and using diode array detection has been developed for the simultaneous trace-level determination of six triazine herbicides (simazine, cyanazine, atrazine, terbumeton, terbuthylazine, and terbutryn) and the main atrazine metabolites (desisopropylatrazine, desethylatrazine, and hydroxyatrazine). After preconcentration parameters were optimized by testing two different sorbents (C18 and PRP-1) in three cartridges with different dimensions, a sample volume of 100 mL was selected in order to achieve maximal solute preconcentration. Detection limits lower than 0.1 microgram.L-1 were obtained even for the most polar analyte (desisopropylatrazine), which presented recoveries of around 30%. The method was validated by means of recovery experiments in groundwater and surface water samples spiked with the analytes at different levels (0.2-2 micrograms.L-1). Afterward, the procedure was successfully applied in a program for monitoring of triazine residues in surface water carried out in a wet area of Castellón, Spain. Different triazine herbicides such as simazine, terbumeton, terbuthylazine, and terbutryn were identified and quantified. The identity of these compounds was confirmed by their absorption UV spectra and by GC/MS analysis. Finally, two rapid, sensitive, and selective procedures, previously developed in our laboratory for the trace-level determination of triazine compounds, both based on LC-LC, were compared with the former procedure. The SPE-LC approach showed a considerable improvement in the global sensitivity at the expense of a decrease in selectivity as well as in sample throughput.

Automation↗

Use of solid-phase microextraction for the quantitative determination of herbicides in soil and water samples.

An in-depth study of SPME optimization and application has been made, considering not only aqueous (surface water and groundwater samples) but also the more complex soil samples. Seven herbicides widely used in the area of study have been selected including five triazine herbicides (atrazine, simazine, terbumeton, terbuthylazine, terbutryn), molinate, and bromacil. linearity range was between 0.1 and 10 ng/mL and the repeatability below 10% when applying the optimized SPME procedure to water samples. Reproducibility was found to be lower than 20% at the 1 ng/mL level, and the limits of determination in environmental water samples using GC/MS (SIM mode) were well below 0.1 ng/mL (values ranging from 10 to 60 ng/L). Extraction of selected herbicides from soil was carried out by microwave-assisted solvent extraction using methanol in screw-capped vials, leading to recoveries over 80% in spiked soil samples at the 5-200 ng/g level. SPME application over methanolic soil extracts required a 10-fold dilution with distilled water. The recommended procedure was found to be fully applicable for quantitative determination of selected herbicides in soils containing low organic matter content with coefficients of variation below or around 10% and limits of determination ranging from 1 to 10 ng/g. Both procedures were applied to real-world surface water and soil samples where several pesticides were detected including atrazine, simazine, terbuthylazine, and molinate.

Herbicides↗

Pesticides and nitrate in groundwater and rainwater in the Province of Limburg in The Netherlands.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the occurrence of high levels of pesticides in groundwater and rainwater in The Province of Limburg in The Netherlands. In groundwater samples in particular the presence of triazines--atrazine, simazine and propazine--was observed; besides these pesticides, dieldrin has also been observed. Atrazine and simazine were found to exceed the groundwater standard of 100 ng L(-1). In the rainwater samples, the presence of 13 of 23 different analyzed pesticides was observed. A number of pesticides were found in high concentrations; e.g. atrazine (>200 ng L(-1)). Two pesticides detected in rainwater (beta+gamma-HCH and atrazine) were found to exceed the groundwater standard. Seven pesticides in rainwater were found to exceed the target value and three pesticides the maximum tolerable risk value (DDT, heptachlor and heptachlorepoxide A), which are used as ecotoxicological standards in The Netherlands. Nitrate in 15 of 16 analyzed natural springs was found to exceed the guideline value for nitrate in drinking water of 50 mg L(-1), up to levels of about 200 mg L(-1). Nitrate concentrations in rainwater samples were observed up to 4.5 mg L(-1). A risk analysis of exposure to high pesticide levels in groundwater or rainwater has been performed using the model HESP. For atrazine levels due to deposition of rainwater in two different locations, exceedance of the T.D.I. level of 0.5 microg kg(-1) day(-1) based on WHO criteria was observed for children using both an urban and a rural scenario and use of groundwater as drinking water.

Environmental Monitoring↗

Derivative spectrophotometry in the analysis of mixtures of phenols and herbicides.

Derivative spectrophotometry (zero-crossing technique) was applied to the determination of selected phenols and herbicides in two-component mixtures. Methyl- and chlorophenols (3-methylphenol, 2,3- and 3,4-dimethylphenol, 2,5-, 2,6- and 3,4-dichlorophenol and 2,4,5-trichlorophenol) and triazine, uracil and urea herbicides (simazine, propazine, hexazinone, bromacil and metoxuron) were examined. The RSD values ranged between 0.05 and 4% and the recoveries obtained were between 97 and 110%. The developed derivative spectrophotometric method was also applied as a complementary technique for the separation of overlapping peaks of sample compounds obtained by HPLC with diode-array detection. Metoxuron and 3-methylphenol, metoxuron and 2,5-dichlorophenol and simazine and 2,6-dichlorophenol were determined simultaneously by this method at the level of 1 x 10(-3) g l-1.

Environmental Pollutants↗