Preliminary Environmental Risks Assessment Caused by Pesticide Residues in Nam Linh Commune, Nam Dan District, Nghe An Province

Abstract

       The pesticide store in Nam Linh commune, Nam Dan district, Nghe An province, which was putting in use during the period 1968 to 1978, has undergone several disturbances by war and human activities. At present, the pesticide leftover was mainly DDT as a consequence of landfill after 1978. The study was conducted to assess the environmental risks of pesticide residues by methods recommended by Vietnam Environment Administration (MONRE) and US EPA. The results showed that the land under floor area of the store contained high DDT concentration ( 2973 mg/kg soil), hundreds times higher than NTR 54: 2013/MONRE standard. From the original point DDT spread horizontally and vertically but not more than 7m in depth. DDT intruded into surface water of ponds

in the vicinity (28.175 mg/l) and entered plants (0.607 mg/kg banana stem) but there was no signs of DDT contamination in the groundwater. The risks of chemical exposure of the pesticide landfill, heavily polluted land, and polluted surface water present the immediate risk of serious impact that need to be controlled. Other effects caused by exposure to polluted sediment, groundwater, and DDT- contaminatedfoods are of lower risk but negative effects of plant pesticides should take into consideration.