Agrochemicals are polluting the environment with arsenic

Abstract

Arsenic is a ubiquitous element that occurs either as a pure element or as a component of many minerals, sulfur, and metals. Elemental arsenic and its compounds are carcinogenic, mutagenic, and teratogenic for living organisms in the environment at elevated levels. Global reports of arsenic contamination in soil and groundwater are frequent. Reports also indicate arsenic contamination in the groundwater and soil of the Rohtak district of Haryana state. The present work was designed to check whether agrochemicals could be a possible source of arsenic contamination in the study area, as no geogenic sources of arsenic were reported. In total, 82 samples of commonly used agrochemicals differing in compositions and brands were collected and analyzed by the fluorescence method using the Fluorat-02-4M Analyzer. Phosphate fertilizers were found to be highly contaminated; the highest amount of arsenic was reported in N: P: K (0:52:34) with a mean value of 345 ppb, followed by N: P: K (12:32:16) with a mean value of 292 ppb, followed by diammonium phosphate with a mean value of 252 ppb. Organic fertilizers show comparatively low values. Arsenic content in various pesticides ranged from 6 ppb to 228 ppb. Despite the ban on arsenic-containing pesticides, nearly all agrochemicals contain it. Research indicates that farmers should reduce their use of chemical fertilizers and promote the use of organic fertilizers instead.