Abstract

Pesticides are highly toxic, synthetic organic compounds that are widely used in agriculture and the industries (Adeboyejo et al. 2011; Adeyemi et al. 2011). Pesticides usage in Nigeria had soared in the past decades such that over 21 different types of organophosphates, organochlorine and carbamates insecticides have been introduced into the Nigeria market. Out of the broadly classified pesticides, organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) constitute the most widely used for agricultural purposes despite their ban in other countries (Adeyemi et al. 2011). OCPs unlike other organic compounds may enter ground water and surface water as run-off due to direct application to the soil surface or application to crops for destroying, preventing, repelling or mitigating against pests, animals, fungi and microorganisms (Ezemonye et al. 2009). Other sources of pesticides entrance into water bodies includes through point sources like sewage treatment plants, sewer overflows and poor management practices of farmers or from atmospheric deposition (Shukla et al., 2006). Environmental contaminants such as hydrocarbons, heavy metals and pesticides have been known to have direct toxic effects when released into the aquatic environment. The concentrations of residues did not follow any particular pattern during the course of the study. The concentrations of OCP residues obtained in this study were lower when compared to the residues obtained by Clarke et al. (2013) in their studies of Ologe lagoon also part of Badagry creek in Lagos State, Nigeria and Adeboyejo et al., (2011) in their study of Lagos lagoon complex. The mean pesticide residues obtained were higher than those obtained by Tongo (1985) from studies carried out in some rivers in Nigeria. In similar investigations carried out on Gomti River, India (Malik et al. 2008) and Beijing Guanting reservoir, China (Xue et al. 2006), the total OCP concentration ranged from 2.16 to 567.49 ng/L and from 16.70 to 791.00 ng/L respectively. In all cases, though, the levels were within the permissible limits (USEPA 2006). In conclusion, the evidence to date concerning the health effects of organochlorines suggests that organochlorine compounds may exert toxic effects on human health through various mechanisms of action. Exposure to organochlorine chemicals has been associated with many deleterious effects on human health, such as, hormone related conditions (endometriosis, infertility), cancer of male and female reproductive system, immunotoxicity, neurotoxicity and spontaneous abortions.

Acknowledgements

All praise, glory and adoration be unto God for his mercy, favour and blessings upon my life. I am indebted to my supervisor Dr. E. O. Clarke, for his understanding, interest, support, dedication, encouragement and his method of supervision that has brought out the best in me. My appreciation goes to all the lecturers and non-academic staffs in Fisheries department who have tutored me in various capacities and have done their best impacting knowledge in me

*Presenting author

Literature Cited

Book Authored by Organization

1.  US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). 2006. Guidance for Assessing Chemical Contaminant Data for Use in Fish Advisories. Vol. 2: Risk Assessment and Fish Consumption Limits. Available at: http://www.epa.gov/ost/fishadvice/volum2/index.httml

Dissertation

2.  Tongo AA. 1985. Baseline Study of Levels of Organochlorine Pesticides in Nigerian Rivers and their Sediments [unpublished Master’s thesis]. Ibadan, Nigeria. Department of Chemistry, University of Ibadan, Nigeria.

3.  Xue N, Zhang D, Xu X. 2006. Organochlorinated Pesticide Multiresidues in Surface Sediments from Beijing, Guanting Reservoir. Water Research. 40:183–194.

Journal Article

4.  Adeboyejo OA, Clarke EO, Olarinmoye MO. 2011. Organochlorine pesticide residues in water, sediments, fin and shell-fish samples from Lagos Lagoon Complex, Nigeria. Researcher. 3(3).

5.  Adeyemi D, Ukpo G, Anyakora C, Unyimadu JP. 2008. Organochlorine pesticide residues in fish samples from Lagos Lagoon, Nigeria. American Journal of Environmental Sciences. 4(6):649–653.

6.  Clarke EO, Aderinola OJ, Adeboyejo OA. 2013. Persistent organochlorine pesticides (POPs) in water, sediment, fin fish (Sarotherodon galilaeus) and shell fishes, (Callinectes pallidus and Macrobrachium macrobrachium) samples from Ologe Lagoon, Lagos, Nigeria. American Journal of Research Communication. 1(6):122–135.

7.  Ezemonye LI, Ikpesu TO Tongo I. 2009. Distribution of endosulfan in water, sediment and fish from Warri river, Niger delta, Nigeria. African Journal of Ecology. 48(1):248–254.

8.  Malik A, Ojha P, Singh K. 2008. Levels and distribution of persistent organochlorine pesticide residues in water and sediments of Gomti River (India) - a tributary of the Ganges River. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. 148(1–4):421–435.

9.  Shukla G, Kumar A, Bhanti M, Joseph PE, Taneja A. 2006. Organochlorine pesticide contamination of ground water in the city of Hyderabad. Environmental International Journal. 32:2006:244–247.