Determination of Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCBs) and Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDTs) in Sediments in Boeng Cheung Ek,Phnom Penh,Cambodia

Abstract

In Cambodia, as in many other countries, PCBs and DDTs were used widely in many types of electrical equipment and in agriculture before being banned. They are, however, still being sold and used in Cambodia, and have been found at high levels in dead Irrawaddy dolphins from the Mekong river.

Boeng Cheung Ek is a wetland area south of Phnom Penh that receives all wastewater from the south central part of the city before it flows into the Bassac river. A rapid method was performed to measure PCBs and DDTs in sediments from Boeng Cheung Ek by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography. The results showed that p,p'- DDT and p,p'-DDE (up to 100 ppb) and possibly some PCBs, were present in the sediment from sites near where the wastewater entered the wetland, but were below detection limits at the site just before the water leaves the wetland and enters the Bassac river. The results show that the wetland is effectively trapping these toxic compounds and protecting local river systems but should cause concern for people who eat fish and shellfish caught in Boeng Cheung Ek.