Persistentorganic pollutants in Colombia: quantificationand diagnosisfororganochlorine pesticides

Abstract

To meet Colombia commitments with Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants (POPs), the country carried out identification and quantification of organochlorine pesticide stocks, in order to update and consolidate information on storage sites and contaminated soils. Methodology proposed by the United Nations program for development (UNDP) was used and covered the following stages: (a) consultation of secondary information available in previous inventories, (b) review activities related to these products life cycle, (c) location of warehouses and sites of destruction or burial and (d) visit a sample of identified sites. Colombia has 159 812 kg of DDT in stock and it was estimated 88 629 m3 of contaminated soil by POPs pesticides. It were unable to identify a vast underreporting quantities of pesticides used and contaminated sites, not only in the country, but in inventories in other countries of the region; reflecting that the reported results are partial and contamination from unidentified sources may occur. It is important to intensify activities of research and innovation not only for wastes and contaminated soils treatment, but for agricultural production and crop protection.