Status, sources and human health risk assessment of DDT pesticide residues in river sediments in a highly developed agricultural region in the upper Yangtze River in China

AbstractThe concentrations of DDT and its metabolites in 19 sediments samples from a highly developed agricultural region in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River were measured. Non-cancer hazard quotient for different age groups was evaluated using reference doses given by the USEPA, and the excess lifetime cancer risk due to eating fish was assessed based on the local eating habits. The results showed that this region has a high level of residual DDT (12.84 ± 8.97 ng/g), which mainly came from the historically used technical DDT in agriculture. The non-carcinogenic risk is just acceptable in the region, but 11 of the 19 sites had an unacceptable risk of carcinogenesis. Although DDT has been banned for decades, there is still notable health risks, especially for children. Special attention should be paid to human health risks in historical developed agricultural regions.