Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

Pesticides residues of atrazine and dichlorobenzamide (BAM) have been found in ground and drinking water in Uppsala, Sweden during the last years. To examine where the pesticides can possibly leach down to the ground water and to look at the distribution and levels of these pesticides in soil two locations were chosen, Uppsala university hospital and Eklundshof, known to be contaminated with atrazine and BAM. At each location two soil cores were collected to a depth of 4 and 5 m respectively, and pesticide concentrations were determined by GC-MS. BAM was detected in all soil samples at Uppsala university hospital, while dichlobenil was only found in one of the topsoil samples from Uppsla university hospital. No other pesticide residues were found. The levels of pesticides were rather low and whether these locations contaminate the ground and drinking water is difficult to determine. A comparison between data from the soil samples and a mathematical model called MACRO did not match very well, mainly because of uncertainties with regard to half-life and the amounts of pesticides applied.