Organophosphate and pyrethroid insecticide residue levels in water bodies in cotton growing areas in Savelugu/Nanton District, Northern Region, Ghana

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2015-02-06
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Organophosphate and pyrethroid insecticide residue levels in water bodies in cotton growing areas in Savelugu/Nanton District in the northern region of Ghana were investigated. Water samples were collected from twelve boreholes and four hand-dug-out wells from sixteen communities in the district and analyzed using the US EPA Method 3510 for aqueous matrix for the analysis of semi-volatile and non-volatile organics. In total, eight different insecticides were detected. Concentrations of Cyhalothrin, Chlorpyriphos and Flubendiamide in the water samples were 0.910, 0.870 and 0.621 μg/L, respectively, and were higher than the maximum residue limit of 0.5 μg/L set by the Ghana Standard Authority and the acceptable limit of the European Economic Commission standard for drinking water (0.1 μg/L) . Concentration of cypermethrin, acetamiprid, Flubendiamide, profenos and imidacloprid were below the detection limit by 12, 43, 37, 25 and 44%, respectively in the water samples analyzed. The results of this study provide information on levels of various insecticide residues in the water bodies in the cotton growing areas in the district and the potential health risks to users and farmers. The further also revealed that insecticide handling among cotton farmers in the District is inadequate.
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A Thesis submitted to the Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Msc. Degree in Environmental Science,
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