toxicity Evaluation of Diazinon contaminated Leaf Litter

摘要

Diazinon (O,O-diethyl O-[2-isopropyl-6-methyl-4pyrimid-inyl] phosphothiate) is an organophosphate pesticide with widespread use on a variety of agricultural crops, such as fruit trees, corn, and tobacco (Burkepile et al., 2000). Approximately 6 million kg of diazinon are applied annually in the United States and, as a result, are a potential contributer to nonpoint source contamination of aquatic environments (Banks et al., 2003). Within these aquatic environments, decaying plant materials and leaf litter can be a prominent physical feature, especially during autumn (Webster and Benfield, 1986; Federle and Ventullo, 1990). These materials have extensive surface areas conducive to sorption of soluble organic contaminants (Pierce et al., 1977). This allows for the potential entry of these compounds into detrital food webs (Odum and Drifmeyer, 1978) resulting in potential effects on aquatic ecosystems (Forrow and Maltby, 2000).