Ruchaya
Boonyatumanond, Sunitra Thongklreng, Sutiab Srilachai,
Sukanya
Boonchalermkit, Pradit Boontantrapiwat
Environmental
Research and Training Centre
The monitoring program was started
from April 2004-March 2005 under the cooperation of the Environmental Research
and Training Center and The United Nations University on Environmental and
Governance: Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in the East Asian Hydrosphere.
This project focuses on POPs in the water and sediment samples from 4 main
rivers and coastal area along the Gulf of Thailand. Fifty samples of water
samples and sediment samples were collected in dry and wet seasons and analysed
for POPs by Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer. All samples were analysed for 8 compounds
of POPs (Hexachlorobenzene, aldrin, heptachlor, dieldrin, endrin, cis-chlordane,
trans-chlordane, and p,p’DDT). The concentration
of POPs detected in water and sediment samples were found in the range of
0.37-10.9 ng/L (ppt) and 0.06-40.2 ng/g (ppb), respectively. The results indicated
that residues of POPs in river water samples are low concentration if compare
to the Surface Water Quality Standard and the Coastal Water Quality Standard
of Thailand by Notification of the National Environmental Board, No. 7-8,
B.E. 2537 (1994 ). The river and sea water samples are not polluted with POPs.
For sediment samples, the trend of POPs residues were detected at higher concentration
than water samples. Its might be long term transport by water or runoff and
deposit into sediment. The behavior of transportation will be study in our
future plan.