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ABSTRACT
DDT was assumed to be diluted in oceans to negligible concentrations and was considered ‘unblemished’’ as pristine in
high-altitude or cold mountainous environment. Banned during the Stolkholm Convention due to its hazardous impact
on both human and ecosystems as it’s extremely difficult to completely degrade once in the environment. The main
sources were identified to be from mountain glaciers, agricultural run-off, surface and lacustrine sediments; industries
leading to run-off into rivers and atmospheric emission, which is more dominant to occur in the alpine lakes due to
evaporation from other warm environment. Major pathways includes Aeolian dispersion, floods/ run-off,
bioaccumulation as well as biota migration the toxic effects of these compounds on biota. The toxic effects of these
compounds on biota endocrine disruptor’s behavioural changes and its reproductive systems. Environmental
remediating of such pollution may be achieved using supercritical fluid extraction and clean up from soil, at high
temperature and pressure which is highly expensive. We thus further recommend the use of environmental fate
modelling of pollutants.
Keywords: DDT, POPs, Alpine lakes
INTRODUCTION
DDT-p, p’-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane is a pesticide used for variety of crops classified as a
Persistent organic Pollutant (POPs) perhaps the best known [1]. Although DDT was assumed to be diluted
in oceans to negligible concentrations [2], it was widely used during the second war to combat insect of
vector borne diseases before its ban in the 1970’s by the legislation decrees during the Stockholm
convention to regulate its use although no restriction was put on its production. Although, it is still been
used in applications of floriculture and zootechnics [3] and in region where malaria poses major health
hazard, where it’s of immense benefit[1]. Its widespread, uncontrolled, intensive use has resulted in
worldwide pollution.
Alpine lakes are high latitudes lakes similar to high mountains which may serve as ‘cold traps’ for
persistent organic pollutants [4]. Cold temperatures at higher latitudes favour deposition from the
atmosphere on to soil and water [5-8]. As such DDT contagion was evident in the Italian Alps as higher
precipitation intensities and gradient in agreement with altitude [9.
POPs can migrate to higher latitudes in a series of relatively short jumps sometimes termed the
‘grasshopper effect’ [10]. Several organochlorines, including DDT, peaked in the most recent layers in the
high arctic lakes. DDT is stored in all tissues with the highest accumulation in fat where repeated
exposures, even at low concentrations, it accumulate resulting in a high level storage [11]. This lipophilic
behaviour of DDT results in growing concern over the toxic effect on biota for instance the
bioaccumulation is greater the longer an organism lives [3]. Suggesting that large predatory fish likely
have the highest probability of accumulation and endangered. In this work a careful review of the sources,
fate and control of DDT was achieved considering the alpine lake as a case study area.
SOURCES
There are different sources and means of transportation of this pollutant through the aquatic
environment as revealed in Figure 1 in the alpine lakes. For instance, DDT pollution in Lake Maggiore in
Italy since 1996 has been identified [12] and caused by industrial production and effluents, traced back to
a chemical plant [13]. The plant both produced and discharged DDT for decades before it closure on a
tributary of the River Toce, one of the major affluent of the lake [3].
Analysis from the Zebra mussel specimens of Baveno Bay where River Toce flows, indicates
contamination source is probably derived from the lacustrine sediments and the River Toce [3]. Similarly,
flood events might lead to contaminants adsorbed to resuspended sediments, as in the case of Pallaza Bay
where sediments are considered to be one of the main sources of DDT pollution [14].
Another major source of DDT in water is agricultural run-off from fields that were once heavily sprayed
with DDT for pest control. Similarly, rainfall might probably be the dominant mechanism for the removal
of DDT in contrast to the atmosphere that is more dominant to occur in the alpine lakes due to
condensation [15]. The soil can also be major contributor to sources of DDT generated from weathering,
as they bind very strongly to soil particles which makes them very slow in reaching ground water and are
thus available to be easily run off, as well as evaporates from the soil and surface water into the air.
Mountain glaciers are used as natural archives for studying historical trends of pollution [4] and are
acknowledged as a significant source of DDT in the alpine lakes [16-18]. Melt-water from glaciers may
contribute relatively high concentrations of DDTs and HCHs to cold aquatic ecosystems of the Himalayas
[4]. Less volatile POPs will partition into water, snow, ice, soil, or vegetation. Bizzotto et al, [19] concluded
that meltwaters originating from old glacier ice could represent the main source of legacy pollutants to
alpine ecosystems. As, condensed DDT might have been stored in glaciers during their volumetric growth
[20] and then released into glacier-fed lakes during the recent retreat. Cold slows evaporation of POPs
from water and promotes their condensation and movement, or "partitioning," from the atmosphere to
the surface [10].
TRANSPORT
Generally, there are different agents that aids in the transportation of contaminants (POPs) which
includes atmospheric dispersion by air/wind current, floods/ run-off as well as biota migration.
Contaminants may enter alpines lakes via atmospheric deposition run off in which alpine lakes may be
sensitive to airborne contaminants [22]. POPs exist in the atmosphere both as vapour-phase chemicals as
gases and in condensed form adsorbed to atmospheric aerosol particles. The combination of stability and
propensity to form a gas under appropriate environmental conditions means that POPs are subject to
long-range atmospheric transport [23]. The combination of resistance to metabolism and lipophilicity
means that POPs will accumulate in food chains through the biota [23]. They can bioaccumulate and
biomagnify through the food chain thus making the organisms on the top of the chain to have the highest
concentration example fish-preying bird. Binelli and Provini, [3] explained that flooding contributed to
large extent on DDT transport in Lake Maggiore, North Italy. The study investigated the environmental
risk associated with contaminants, histopathological markers, and bioaccumulation which shows
fluctuations typical of flood events over a year period. The flow processes of DDT in the environment are
as shown in Figure 1 according to Randers [24].
EFFECTS ON BIOTA
The endocrine-disrupting properties of DDT on biota has been extensively discussed [44, 45] and the
problem of endocrine disruptors is one of the five priority research areas established by the Committee
on the Environment and Natural Resources of the United States [46]. There is a growing concern over the
toxic effects of these compounds on biota, particularly on higher species resulting from food chain due to
bioaccumulations as presented in figure (3), even at extremely low environmental levels [3]. Some of
these chemicals are endocrine disruptors and thus give rise to various dangerous effects such as eggshell
thinning, behavioural changes, impaired male reproductive ability and estrogenic activity interfering with
sex hormones have been confirmed [47]. It is well documented that such effects does occurs virtually in
all types of organisms ranging from mollusks to predators at different stages of food web [48-50].
Zebra mussels from Lake Maggiore were evaluated for DDT contamination and it was identified that in
the ovaries of the most highly polluted mussels, histological analyses showed a delay in oocyte
maturation and a high incidence of pathological pictures mainly referable to oocyte degeneration and
haemocytic infiltration [51]. Histological studies carried out in 1997 [52] showed that a significant
percentage of specimens sampled inside the Baveno Bay had a marked oocyte degeneration and released
gametes earlier than those sampled at a nearby reference station outside the bay, suggesting a possible
endocrine-disrupting effect of DDTs [23,3, 53, 54]. It is well known that pp0DDE is an antiadrogenic
compound while op0DDT was found to determine pseudo-estrogenic effects on several organisms [47].
CONTROLS
According to UNEP [1] during the Stockholm convention, not much can be done with the traces of
chemicals that are literally everywhere, from the industrial region of the Northern hemisphere to the
Antarctica except to let time do it work. Various measures against the use of DDT in European countries
has been highlighted by UNEP, [58]. There are different policy recommendations highlighted in the work
of [8]. These includes a global restriction on the release of these compounds, reduction or elimination of
emissions, discharges and where appropriate a ban on manufacture and use of persistent organic
pollutants. Likewise, production of unintentional POPs should be extremely controlled by taking various
measures such as development of action plans and preventative actions to reduce the release into
environment. Such as banning of open burning and precautionary measure to reduce the scale of forest
fires.
Environmental fate modelling of pollutants can help to reducing uncertainties and also give a clearer
insight to the behaviour of this pollutant in the environment. [59]. Developed countries will have to
provide funds and technical assistance to less developed nations, so that the latter can take effective
measures [60]. Establishment of agreements between countries such as Commission for Environmental
Cooperation (CEC) which list steps to reduce and eliminate the pollution of certain chemicals [61]. Which
may help in regulating the use of DDT in all countries to be seize, by initiating more generating a more
effective and efficient methods to fight Malaria and none or less toxic insecticide [45]. We thus
recommend that more concentration should be given into generation of better modelling of such
environmental pollutants which will increase the area coverage and hence a better understanding of
other remediation ways.
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