Persistent organochlorine residues in soils from tropical and sub-tropical Asian countries

Soil samples from paddy fields, uplands, and urban areas (gardens and roadsides) collected from Vietnam, Thailand, and Taiwan were analysed to determine the residual levels of persistent organochlorine compounds such as DDTs, HCHs, and PCBs. DDT concentration in soil samples from Vietnam were found to be highest, with a mean value of 110 ng g(-1), and were followed by those in Taiwanese soils with a mean value of 20 ng g(-1). HCH concentrations were highest in soil samples from Vietnam (a mean value of 4.8 ng g(-1)) and were followed by those from Taiwan (a mean value of 1.4 ng g(-1)). Concentrations of PCBs were found to be highest in Taiwanese soil samples, with a mean of 95 ng g(-1). Interestingly, relatively high concentrations of PCBs in rural cultivated-soil samples from Vietnam were recorded with a mean value of 25 ng g(-1), probably suggesting PCB release from different kinds of weapons used during the Second Indochina war. The lowest concentrations of DDTs, HCHs, and PCBs were obtained in soil samples from Thailand, with mean values of 8.3 ng g(-1), 0.4 ng g(-1), and 2.7 ng g(-1), respectively.