Endosulfan in the Antarctic

An ice-core sample taken from the Mackeller Peninsula in the Antarctic region on February 2002 was analyzed for organo-chlorine pesticide endosulfan. Endosulfan has been withdrawn from the registered use in many countries, however it is still manufactured and used especially in developing countries. Despite restrictions on its use, endosulfan and its major metabolite endosulfan sulphate, which is of particular concern as it is extremely toxic to mammals and more persistent than its isomeric parent compound, continue to be detected in the environment even in remote areas. Endosulfan sulphate was determined in the ice-core 38 sample at a concentration of 0.3 ng g–1. This result supports the findings of other researchers reporting its presence, even at higher concentrations (up to 136 μg l–1) in remote areas as European remote mountain lakes and Russian and Canadian Arctic.