PENETRATION OF PESTICIDES AND INDUSTRIAL ORGANICS DEEP INTO SOIL AND INTO GROUNDWATER

We report on two different cases of penetration of organic pollutants deep into the soil and into groundwater. In one event a point source of pollution from a pesticides plant has been studied by a long-term follow-up of a polluted well close to the plant. A typical pattern of pollution has been observed in this well, which was studied for four years. There was a similar organic pollution pattern in soil samples close to the plant. The second case involved an agricultural area long irrigated with effluents. In this area there was an accumulation of organic pollutants deep in the soil (5-20 m depth) and in the groundwater. The mobilizing effect of effluents in promoting the penetration of micropollutants into the depth of soil has been shown. This effect presumably is due to the presence of surface active components. The reported results demonstrate the facile transport of a wide range of xenobiotic organics deep into the soil and into deep groundwater, and advises caution in the use of reclaimed wastewaters for irrigation.