Permethrin Insecticide and Soil Sample Handling Techniques of State Regulatory Agencies

ISSN： 1527-5922

Source： Environmental Forensics, Vol.6, Iss.4, 2005-12, pp. : 327-333

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Abstract

The goal of this project was to examine soil sample handling procedures of each state regulatory agency that regulates pesticides, and to offer a standardized soil sampling protocol. In the United States, the pesticide user industry is large for both agricultural and non-agricultural uses. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) regulates pesticide use on a federal level. Each state has established a “state lead agency” (SLA) that is responsible for state regulation of pesticides. In the absence of mandatory federal protocols for sample collection by SLAs, each state is free to take environmental samples pursuant to administrative or criminal investigations as they see fit. A comparative study of common sampling practices was performed to evaluate the impact of handling methods on results. Soil was treated with permethrin insecticide and placed in two types of storage containers: opaque bags that block ultraviolet light, and clear glass jars that do not. Soil samples were placed in a commercial freezer, a cooler with commercial ice, and a growth chamber (incubator) that exposed the soil samples to heat, humidity, and ultraviolet light. The results of the experiment revealed that within seventy-two (72) hours, exposure of the soil samples to freezing, 51.6 Kj/m 2 of ultraviolet light, 75% humidity, 37.8°C, or commercial ice in a cooler had no statistically significant effect on the level of permethrin residue in the soil samples with the soil properties used in the experiment and a soil pH of 6.2. However, when pH of the soil was raised to 8.96, permethrin concentration was best preserved when soil was immediately frozen.