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Residue Reviews pp 91–117Cite as

Movement of DDT and its derivatives into the atmosphere

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Part of the book series: Residue Reviews ((RECT,volume 59))

Abstract

Air transport is probably the principal method whereby pesticides are dispersed over wide areas and into bodies of water far removed from sites of application. For example, airborne particulates collected at Barbados in the Atlantic Ocean by Risebrough et al. (1968), by Seba and Prospero (1971), and Prospero and Sera (1972) contained organochlorine insecticides, mainly DDT1 and its derivatives. The extensive literature on concentrations of pesticides in air was recently reviewed by Finkelstein (1969). Low levels of pesticides have been observed in the atmosphere over both rural and urban communities (West 1964, Antommaria et al. 1965, Middleton 1965, Tabor 1965 and 1966, Abbott et al. 1966, Cohen and Pinkerton 1966, Jegier 1969, and Stanley et al. 1971). DDT was the predominant insecticide observed during these years of its most extensive use. For example, West (1964) reported that all but two of 18 samples of ambient air collected over four California cities in 1963 contained measurable amounts of DDT; in air sampled at nine localities in the United States, from both rural and urban communities, only DDT was found at all localities (Stanley et al. 1971) .

Contribution of the Western Region, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, in cooperation with the California Agricultural Experiment Station.

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  1. USDA, P. O. Box 112, Riverside, CA, 92502, USA

    W. F. Spencer (Soil Scientist)

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  1. Department of Entomology, University of California, 92502, Riverside, California, USA

    Francis A. Gunther  & Jane Davies Gunther  & 

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Spencer, W.F. (1975). Movement of DDT and its derivatives into the atmosphere. In: Gunther, F.A., Gunther, J.D. (eds) Residue Reviews. Residue Reviews, vol 59. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-9863-2_4

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