CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

Purpose of Review Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) have been intensely used and produced in South America. Although theywere banned before the year 2000 (excepting endosulfan, which has been recently banned in several countries), OCPs remaindetectable in marine environments of this continent, sometimes at risky levels for biota. This manuscript summarizes studies onOCP levels in the air, water, sediment, bivalves, fish, and marine mammals of the South American coasts and open waters overthe last 20 years, tackling their spatial distribution and analyzing their associated ecotoxicological risk.Recent Findings To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study integrating all available information on current levels ofOCPs in South American marine environments. The 63 researches reviewed studied punctual sites or environmentalcompartments.Summary The OCP levels were higher in semi-enclosed environments such as bays and estuaries, close to large cities. In terms ofindividual OCPs, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its degradation products were more abundant than other OCPs inall the environmental compartments, excepting air, for which the most abundant OCP was endosulfan. Depending on the locationand the environmental matrix, hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), heptachlors, mirex, and endosulfans followed DDTs. Aldrin,dieldrin and endrin, hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and chlordanes were found at very low levels in most matrices and sites, withsome exceptions. Considering their potential ecotoxicological risk, most sites would be safe for biota; however, the levels of someOCPs could damage the structure and function of the communities of several coastal sites in a short or long term, mainly insoutheastern Brazil and on the coast of the Argentine Pampas. Moreover, it remains to evaluate many sites potentially contaminated by OCPs.

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