Agrochemical loading in drains and rivers and its connection with pollution in coastal lagoons of the Mexican Pacific

The state of Sinaloa in Mexico is an industrialized agricultural region with a documented pesticide usage of 700 t year(-1); which at least 17 of the pesticides are classified as moderately to highly toxic. Pollutants in the water column of rivers and drains are of great concern because the water flows into coastal lagoons and near-shore waters and thereby affects aquatic organisms. This study was done in four municipalities in the state of Sinaloa that produce food intensively. To investigate the link between pollution in the lagoons and their proximity to agricultural sites, water was sampled in three coastal lagoons and in the rivers and drains that flow into them. Seawater from the Gulf of California, 10 km from the coast, was also analyzed. Concentrations of nutrients, organochlorines, and organophosphorus pesticides were determined. Nutrient determination showed an unhealthy environment with N/P ratios of < 16, thus favoring nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria. The organochlorine pesticides showed a clear accumulation in the coastal lagoons from the drains and rivers, with SHCH showing the highest concentrations. In the southern part of the region studied, pollution of the coastal lagoon of Pabellones could be traced mainly to the drains from the agricultural sites. Accumulation of OC pesticides was also observed in the Gulf of California. Tests for 22 organophosphates revealed only five (diazinon, disulfoton, methyl parathion, chlorpyrifos, and mevinphos); diazinon was detected at all the sites, although methyl parathion was present at some sites at concentrations one order of magnitude higher than diazinon.