Arsenic and Trace Metals in Common Pesticides in Lake Atitlán, Guatemala By Jansen Costello, Devin Castendyk, Tracy Allen Dept. of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, SUNY Oneonta, Oneonta, NY 13820 Arsenic (As) Manganese (Mn) Abstract: 100 - 10 Lake Atitlán in Guatemala is the main drinking water source for several communities 13.38 3.2 10 µg/L situated along the shoreline. Studies by SUNY Oneonta show that lake water has - 1.5 0.79 0.56 dissolved arsenic concentrations of 11-13 µg/L. The World Health Organization’s 1 1 0.8 drinking water guideline for arsenic is 10 µg/L (REF), suggesting that lake water may 0.5 0.07 per Liter pose a health risk. This study seeks to determine whether local pesticide use may µg/L 0.1 0.21 contribute to observed arsenic levels. 0.01 0.1 The watershed surrounding Lake Atitlán is heavily used for agriculture. Farmers apply Rival Tambo 44 Totem 72 Super Lake Rival Tambo 44 Totem 72 Super Lake Microgram Microgram pesticides to crops in order to increase yields. These pesticides many contain per Liter MIcrogram EC SL Herbaxon Atitlan EC SL Herbaxon Atitlán Figure #7 inorganic constituents which are harmful to humans at high concentrations, such as 20 SL 20 SL Table #1 arsenic, copper, and mercury. Rain rinses these constituents from corps and into Chromium (Cr) Image Pesticide Manufacturer Solution pH Electric Copper (Cu) 9.5 streams, which then flow into the lake. Name Conductivity 10 7.4 10 This experiment measured the composition of the four most common pesticides used (µS/cm) 6.9 Rival Duwest, 50g per 16 L 4.13 1198 µg/L µg/L 4.9 - - 2 in the watershed which we purchased from a farm supply store in Sololá in 2014, plus Honduras 0.7 0.702 two unknown pesticides collected from farmers. We prepared these solution at SUNY 1 0.5 Oneonta and submitted them to Actlabs in Ontario for ICP-MS, ion chromatography, per Liter per Liter per Liter and FIMS analysis. By testing each pesticide for 70 parameters, we will define their 1 0.1 geochemical signature, and evaluate their contribution to arsenic in lake water. 1 Tambo 44 EC Disagro, 25 ml per 3.2 L 3.28 249 Rival Tambo 44 Totem 72 Super Lake Atitlán Guatemala Rival Tambo 44 Totem 72 SL Super Lake Atitlán Microgram Microgram Microgram Microgram EC SL Herbaxon EC Herbaxon 20 SL 20 SL Purpose: Zinc (Zn) Cobalt (Co) 100 The purpose of this study is to measure the composition of metals dissolved in Totem 72 SL Duwest, 125 ml per 16 L 7.98 1869 1 Honduras µg/L common pesticides used around Lake Atitlán, and to compare these concentration to - 19.5 µg/L - 0.121 8.6 lake water concentrations. This will identify potential sources of metals to the lake. 10 0.1 0.067 0.076 0.059 0.036 per Liter per Liter 1.9 1.6 per Liter per Liter 1.2 Super Duwest, Costa 125 ml per 16 L 4.55 2260 0.01 1 Background: Herbaxon 20 Rica Rival Tambo 44 Totem 72 Super Lake Atitlán Rival Tambo 44 Totem 72 Super Lake Atitlán SL EC SL Herbaxon Microgram EC SL Herbaxon Lake Atitlán, locally known as Lago de Atitlán, is located in the middle of the Microgram 20 SL 20 SL Guatemalan Highlands of the Sierra Madre mountains (Figure 1, 2, 3). Lake Atitlán is part of the Sololá department of northern Guatemala. In Nahuatl, Atitlán means "at the water." With a maximum depth of 340 m, Lake Atitlán is the deepest lake in Conclusions: Central America. The area is 12 x 5 km, and it can hold up to 20 km² of water (Cultural Data from Actlabs, shows that the four different pesticides contain many different Tour, 2014). The lake is an extremely important water source to the indigenous Mayan amounts of heavy metals and solvents. The most interesting heavy metals and population surrounding the lake. There are nine main villages that surround Lake solvents were As, Mn, Cr, Cu, Co, and Zn. Arsenic, our main concern of the lake, was found to be less concentrated in the pesticides then the lake itself. This implies that Atitlán: Panajachel, Santa Catarina, San Antonio, Santa Cruz la Laguna, El Jaibalito, high levels of arsenic in the lake is most likely not from pesticides being spread on Tzununá, San Marcos la Laguna, San Pedro la Laguna, and Santiago Atitlan (Atitlan local farms. Each pesticide had its own unique composition when it came to heavy Community, 2015). These villages depend on this water source because they have metals. All of the pesticides were very different when compared to water found in municipalities that utilize and consume water from the lake every day. Knowing that Lake Atitlán. Rival was very high in copper (2 µg/L), Tambo 44 EC was elevated in this lake contains high levels of arsenic and other heavy metals, may pose a threat to Manganese (3.2 µg/L) and Zinc (19.5 µg/L), and Totem 72 SL was concentrated in the indigenous Mayan population in the future. Cobalt (0.121 µg/L). Yet surprisingly Super Herbaxon 20 SL lacked heavy metals when Agriculture is a large part of the Mayans lifestyle and is the main income for 95% of compared to the rest of the pesticides. A source is any origin that has a higher concentration than the lake itself. The data the Mayan population(Cultural Tour, 2014; Fig. 4 and 5). The main four crops grown Figure 1: Map of Guatemala shown above shows that Rival, Tambo 44 Ec, and Totem 72 Sl all have potential to be for this area are coffee, avocado, corn, and onions. Other important crops grown in Figure 4: Concepcion, Guatemala. Taken by sources of heavy metals for Lake Atitlán. Yet, these three pesticides also show that this area are: beans, squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic, chile verde, strawberries Devin Castendyk. they are not sources of high levels of Arsenic in Lake Atitlán. In order to expand out and pitahaya fruit. Farmers often apply pesticides on to crops using sixteen-liter knowledge and data for this topic we need to return back to Guatemala. Once in sprayer backpack (Figure 6). The process evenly applies the pesticide by hand to the Guatemala we can run more accurate data testing by picking specific farms that utilize crops in order to minimize cost. the pesticides above. Students can then follow the movement of the pesticides from the source of the farm, down to the stream or river, and then its movement throughout the rivers till they reach Lake Atitlán. As for the arsenic we need to look for other sources and origins. Yet until then, we can interpret that high levels of Methods: heavy metals are coming from agricultural land that is surrounding Lake Atitlán. The following procedure was used to measure metals and other dissolved solids in Figure 2: Map of Lake Atitlán common pesticides: (1) Purchase four common pesticides in a local pesticide shop in Sololá, Guatemala in Acknowledgements: June 2014 (Table 1). Special thanks to Dr. Elizabeth Smalls, Spanish Department Chair, for translating and assisting out of (2) In New York, translation of the preparation methods on pesticide bottles from country calls to pesticide companies. Figure 5: Corezon de Bosque. Taken by Special thanks to Students from GEOL 385 Water Resource of Guatemala, 2014, for collecting all Spanish to English, followed by a phone conversation with each company. Devin Castendyk. data from Lake Atitlán and purchasing pesticides from local store. (3) Clean all glass wear in dilute nitric acid bath. Special thanks to Oneonta student grant program for research and creative activity for funding a (4) Make solutions of the four pesticides in one liter flasks. Table 1 shows the grant in order for me to complete this project. pesticides, the preparation instructions, images of prepared solutions, and the active ingredients listed on the bottle. (5) Measure pH and electrical conductivity of each pesticide (Table 1). References: "A Cultural Tour of Lake Atitlan and Chichicastenango Market." Escape the Ordinary. N.p., 23 Apr. 2014. Web. 13 Apr. 2015. (6) Submit a 60 mL sample of each pesticide to Actlabs, Ancaster, Ontario for trace- "Air Pollution in Developing Countries." Air Pollution in Developing Countries. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2015. Drugs.com. “Arsenic Trioxide Side Effects in Detail – Drugs.com.” Arsenic Trioxide Side Effects in Detail – Drugs.com. metal analysis by Inductively Cuppled Plasma -Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS), mercury Drugs.com, n.b. Web. 06 Nov. 2014. analysis by FIMS, and anion analysis by Ion Chromatograph. EPA. "Arsenic in Drinking Water." Home. EPA, n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2014. (7) Compare pesticide concentrations to observed surface water chemistry in Lake "Lake Atitlan, Guatemala." Lake Atitlan Community. N.p., 13 Apr. 2015. Web. 13 Apr. 2015. Figure 3: Lake View of Lake Atitlán. Taken by Devin Figure 6: Farmer applying Morgan Szybist, Richard (2004), The Lake Atitlan Reference Guide:The Definitive Eco-Cultural Guidebook on Lake Atitlan Atitlan in May 2014. Adventures in Education, Inc. Castendyk. pesticides to crops. University of Nevada, Reno. "US AID Project Fact Sheet." US AID Project Fact Sheet (2011): n. pag. Web. World Health Organization. "Arsenic." WHO. World Health Organization, n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2014. .