A Comprehensive Review of Organochlorine Pesticide Monitoring in Agricultural Soils: The Silent Threat of a Conventional Agricultural Past

Soil constitutes the central environmental compartment that, primarily due to anthropogenic activities, is the recipient of several contaminants. Among these are organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), which are of major concern, even though they were banned decades ago due to their persistence and the health effects they can elicit. In this review, an overview of monitoring studies regarding OCPs in soils published over the last 30 years along with the development of analytical methods and extraction procedures for their determination in soil are presented. The presented synopsis verifies the soil contamination by OCPs during the last several decades. Soil pollution by OCPs should be an essential aspect of the characterization of whole soil quality, considering that a significant percent of soils on a global scale are in the borderline of suitability for cultivation and pertinent activities. The latter, to an extent, is attributed to the presence of organic contaminants, especially those of persistent chemical natures.

Automated summary

Soil, as a central environmental compartment, is polluted by various contaminants primarily due to human activities. Among them, organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are of major concern, even though they have been banned for decades due to their persistence and potential health effects. This review provides an overview of monitoring studies on OCPs in soils published in the past 30 years, as well as the development of analytical methods and extraction procedures for their determination. The findings confirm the contamination of soil by OCPs over the past several decades, highlighting the importance of considering soil pollution by OCPs in the characterization of overall soil quality, particularly given that a significant portion of global soils are marginally suitable for cultivation and related activities due to the presence of persistent organic contaminants.