Pesticide Residues in the Danube River Basin in Serbia - a Survey during 2009-2011

In this work, a total of 38 pesticides was monitored in the Danube River Basin in Serbia during ten sampling campaigns in 2009, 2010, and 2011. The quantification of analytes was performed using procedures based on solid-phase extraction (SPE) followed by LC-MS/MS or GC-MS. In general, low pesticide levels were found, except for the samples collected during May-June of 2010 and June of 2011. During this period, pesticide application is high and rainfall was described as extremely above normal or above normal, leading to very pronounced runoff and very high detected pesticide levels. At the sampling site Smederevo (the Danube River), high concentrations of terbuthylazine (200ngL(-1)) and metolachlor (150ngL(-1)) were found. In the Danube tributary Morava, high concentrations of carbendazim (269ngL(-1)), atrazine (188ngL(-1)), terbuthylazine (180ngL(-1)), and acetochlor (110ngL(-1)) were detected, while in the tributary Tisa only terbuthylazine was present at high levels (130ngL(-1)). In other sampling campaigns, pesticides were present at low concentrations. The most frequently found pesticide was carbendazim, probably due to slow degradation rate in environment.