Abstract
We investigated the possibility of a method to monitor pesticides in water by assaying effects of organophosphorus and carbamate pesticides upon acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity. The procedure is very simple as follows ; the human red blood cell suspension was added to sample water and then AChE activity was detrmined by autoanalyzer.
Using this method, we assayed 33 kinds of organophosphorus pesticide, 8 kinds of its oxon, and 12 kinds of carbamate pesticide.
Nineteen out of the 33 organophosphorus pesticides, 7 out of the 8 oxons of organophosphorus pesticide, and all of the 12 carbamate pesticides tested were detected at the concentration of less than 1mg·l-1.
Even at the concentration 100ng·l-1, EDDP, Benfracarb, Chlorpyrifos oxon, Isoxathion oxon and Diazinon oxon were detected.
In addition, 13 pesticides were detected at the concentration of 100ng·l-1 in the water containing 1mg·l-1 chlorine, which is equivalent to the chlorine level in water disinfection process.
This analytical method, although the detectable concentration levels are varied widely according to the type of pesticides, is capable of detecting many of organophosphorus and carbamate pesticides in water.
