Distribution and Seasonal Variation of Pesticides in Air in Kitakyushu

Abstract

Thirty-six kinds of pesticides in air were monitored at two urban areas and one residential area located near the agricultural area in Kitakyushu.
Sampling was conducted in four days periods in four months (April, August, November and February) in 1992-1993.
Thirty-five species of pesticides were detected in air. Their concentration range was 0.01-70ng/ m³. Although the concentration level of 30 species of the detected pesticides was less than 1ng/ m³. The concentration of pesticides in the air sample in August was the highest. This fact was clear in the sampling site near the agricultural area. Especially six kinds of pesticides, including Flutoluanil and Fenobucarb were found at high concentration. These pesticides are used not only agricultural areas but also on golf courses or other places. From these results, it was clear that the concentration of pesticides in air is influenced by many kinds of emission sources. The concentrations of pesticides in air in the other three months were relatively low and the fluctuation of the concentration level was small. The total amount of pesticides detected on the XAD-2 resin trap was higher than that on the quartz fiber filter in three months except August. However, in August, a high concentration of Flutoluanil was found on the filter. It was suggested that a large amount of Flutoluanil was used in the agricultural area just before the sampling time.