The burden of organochlorine pesticides was determined in the roots of Cryptolepis sanguinolenta, an anti malarial plant. In all fourteen
organochlorine pesticides, β-HCH, δ-HCH, γ-HCH, heptachlor, aldrin, γ-chlordane, α-endosulfan, p,p’-DDE, dieldrin, endrin, βendosulfan, p,p’-DDD, p,p’-DDT and methoxychlor were identified and quantified using GC-ECD. Samples used for the investigation were
collected from Abetifi and Pepease communities in the Kwahu-East and Apesokobi and Worawora in the Biakoye districts of Ghana. The
effect of seasonal variations on the level of the organochlorine pesticide (OCPs) residues in the root of Cryptolepis sanguinolenta was also
investigated. The mean concentrations of OCPs in the Cryptolepis sanguinolenta samples collected from Biakoye and Kwahu-East districts
in the dry season were much higher compared to those of the wet season. The mean OCPs concentrations in dry season were found to range
from 0.006 mg kg-1
to 0.061 mg kg-1 while the concentrations for the wet season ranged from 0.001 to 0.011 mg kg-1
. The sum of OCPs
mean concentrations in the root Cryptolepis sanguinolenta also ranged from 0.033 mg kg-1
to 0.354 mg kg-1
, with the highest mean level of
0.354 mg kg-1 detected in samples collected from Biakoye district in the dry season. With the exception of residue levels obtained for the
sum of aldrin and dieldrin in Cryptolepis sanguinolenta collected from Biakoye districts in the dry season, the mean OCP residue values
obtained were generally below
Key words: organochlorine pesticides, Cryptolepis sanguinolenta, anti-malarial plant, traditional medicine, bioaccumulation, pollution,
gas chromatography.
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