Bioremediation of soil heavily contaminated with organochlorine pesticides: DDTs and HCHs

Abstract

Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) are organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), or chlorinated hydrocarbons used extensively from the 1940s till the 1970s in agriculture. Although their production and agricultural use was banned under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (DDT in 2001 and HCH in 2009), their traces can still be found in water and soil. Due to their environmental persistence, toxicity, and pronounced bioaccumulation and biomagnification potential, these OCPs are of great concern. The reported half-lives of DDT in soil range from 4 to 35 years, while those of HCH vary between 2 and 10 years depending on the isomer and soil properties. Even decades ago, remain locations with highest concentrations of these contaminants. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of bioremediation strategies for soil heavily contaminated with organochlorine pesticides (DDT, HCH, and their metabolites).