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Modeling the dynamics of DDT in a remote tropical floodplain: indications of post-ban use?

Overview of attention for article published in Environmental Science and Pollution Research, October 2015
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Title
Modeling the dynamics of DDT in a remote tropical floodplain: indications of post-ban use?
Published in
Environmental Science and Pollution Research, October 2015
DOI 10.1007/s11356-015-5641-x
Pubmed ID
Authors

Annelle Mendez, Carla A. Ng, João Paulo Machado Torres, Wanderley Bastos, Christian Bogdal, George Alexandre dos Reis, Konrad Hungerbuehler

Abstract

Significant knowledge gaps exist regarding the fate and transport of persistent organic pollutants like dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) in tropical environments. In Brazil, indoor residual spraying with DDT to combat malaria and leishmaniasis began in the 1950s and was banned in 1998. Nonetheless, high concentrations of DDT and its metabolites were recently detected in human breast milk in the community of Lake Puruzinho in the Brazilian Amazon. In this work, we couple analysis of soils and sediments from 2005 to 2014 at Puruzinho with a novel dynamic floodplain model to investigate the movement and distribution of DDT and its transformation products (dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (DDD)) and implications for human exposure. The model results are in good agreement with the accumulation pattern observed in the measurements, in which DDT, DDE, and DDD (collectively, DDX) accumulate primarily in upland soils and sediments. However, a significant increase was observed in DDX concentrations in soil samples from 2005 to 2014, coupled with a decrease of DDT/DDE ratios, which do not agree with model results assuming a post-ban regime. These observations strongly suggest recent use. We used the model to investigate possible re-emissions after the ban through two scenarios: one assuming DDT use for IRS and the other assuming use against termites and leishmaniasis. Median DDX concentrations and p,p'-DDT/p,p'-DDE ratios from both of these scenarios agreed with measurements in soils, suggesting that the soil parameterization in our model was appropriate. Measured DDX concentrations in sediments were between the two re-emission scenarios. Therefore, both soil and sediment comparisons suggest re-emissions indeed occurred between 2005 and 2014, but additional measurements would be needed to better understand the actual re-emission patterns. Monte Carlo analysis revealed model predictions for sediments were very sensitive to highly uncertain parameters associated with DDT degradation and partitioning. With this model as a tool for understanding inter-media cycling, additional research to refine these parameters would improve our understanding of DDX fate and transport in tropical sediments.

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Mendeley readers

Mendeley readers

The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 57 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.

Geographical breakdown

Country Count As %
Unknown 57 100%

Demographic breakdown

Readers by professional status Count As %
Student > Master 14 25%
Student > Ph. D. Student 10 18%
Student > Bachelor 6 11%
Professor 5 9%
Student > Doctoral Student 4 7%
Other 13 23%
Unknown 5 9%
Readers by discipline Count As %
Agricultural and Biological Sciences 14 25%
Medicine and Dentistry 8 14%
Environmental Science 6 11%
Chemistry 5 9%
Social Sciences 4 7%
Other 11 19%
Unknown 9 16%
Attention Score in Context

Attention Score in Context

This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 2. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 01 February 2016.
All research outputs
#15,687,152
of 23,911,072 outputs
Outputs from Environmental Science and Pollution Research
#3,425
of 9,883 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#161,632
of 288,314 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Environmental Science and Pollution Research
#42
of 155 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 23,911,072 research outputs across all sources so far. This one is in the 32nd percentile – i.e., 32% of other outputs scored the same or lower than it.
So far Altmetric has tracked 9,883 research outputs from this source. They receive a mean Attention Score of 3.7. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 62% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 288,314 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one is in the 40th percentile – i.e., 40% of its contemporaries scored the same or lower than it.
We're also able to compare this research output to 155 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 70% of its contemporaries.