Citizen-engaged screening of 230 pesticides in the Lake Naivasha catchment, Kenya, using stir bar sorptive extraction and GC-QToF-HRMS
The presence of pesticides in surface water samples from the Lake Naivasha catchment area in Kenya was investigated using Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction (SBSE) and Gas Chromatograph with Quadruple Time-Of-Flight High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (GC-QToF-HRMS). A total of 56 pesticides were detected,...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-08-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Environmental Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2025.1623651/full |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849233422222884864 |
|---|---|
| author | Caterina Cacciatori Caterina Cacciatori Giulio Mariani Sara Comero Enock Kiminta Anham Salyani Jackie Myers Vincent Pettigrove Bernd Manfred Gawlik |
| author_facet | Caterina Cacciatori Caterina Cacciatori Giulio Mariani Sara Comero Enock Kiminta Anham Salyani Jackie Myers Vincent Pettigrove Bernd Manfred Gawlik |
| author_sort | Caterina Cacciatori |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The presence of pesticides in surface water samples from the Lake Naivasha catchment area in Kenya was investigated using Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction (SBSE) and Gas Chromatograph with Quadruple Time-Of-Flight High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (GC-QToF-HRMS). A total of 56 pesticides were detected, belonging to different classes including fungicides (48.2%), insecticides (17.9%), herbicides (12.5%), and other categories. The most frequently detected pesticides were the fungicides boscalid, fluopyram, hexachlorobenzene, tebuconazole, herbicide metolachlor, and insecticides bromopropylate, chlorpyrifos, diazinon, and the synergist piperonyl butoxide. The site with the highest pesticides detections was adjacent to Lake Naivasha, near a wastewater treatment plant discharge. Toxicological risk assessments revealed that the acute toxic unit threshold for crustaceans (TU = 0.01) was exceeded in several samples, primarily due to the presence of chlorpyrifos and diazinon. Notably, chlorpyrifos, banned for all agricultural purposes in Kenya in 2024, was detected in several samples. These findings highlight the presence of pesticides in Kenyan water bodies, posing potential risks to aquatic ecosystems and underscore a need for stricter regulation, ongoing monitoring, and the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices to minimise the impact of pesticides on the environment. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b0002b33056e4fb8a2a5100e243a1f64 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2296-665X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Environmental Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-b0002b33056e4fb8a2a5100e243a1f642025-08-20T05:33:02ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Environmental Science2296-665X2025-08-011310.3389/fenvs.2025.16236511623651Citizen-engaged screening of 230 pesticides in the Lake Naivasha catchment, Kenya, using stir bar sorptive extraction and GC-QToF-HRMSCaterina Cacciatori0Caterina Cacciatori1Giulio Mariani2Sara Comero3Enock Kiminta4Anham Salyani5Jackie Myers6Vincent Pettigrove7Bernd Manfred Gawlik8European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, ItalyAquatic Environmental Stress Research Group (AQUEST), RMIT University, Bundoora, VIC, AustraliaEuropean Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, ItalyEuropean Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, ItalyKenya National Water Resource Users Association (KeNAWRUA), Nairobi, KenyaWorld Water Quality Alliance, Nairobi, KenyaAquatic Environmental Stress Research Group (AQUEST), RMIT University, Bundoora, VIC, AustraliaAquatic Environmental Stress Research Group (AQUEST), RMIT University, Bundoora, VIC, AustraliaEuropean Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, ItalyThe presence of pesticides in surface water samples from the Lake Naivasha catchment area in Kenya was investigated using Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction (SBSE) and Gas Chromatograph with Quadruple Time-Of-Flight High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (GC-QToF-HRMS). A total of 56 pesticides were detected, belonging to different classes including fungicides (48.2%), insecticides (17.9%), herbicides (12.5%), and other categories. The most frequently detected pesticides were the fungicides boscalid, fluopyram, hexachlorobenzene, tebuconazole, herbicide metolachlor, and insecticides bromopropylate, chlorpyrifos, diazinon, and the synergist piperonyl butoxide. The site with the highest pesticides detections was adjacent to Lake Naivasha, near a wastewater treatment plant discharge. Toxicological risk assessments revealed that the acute toxic unit threshold for crustaceans (TU = 0.01) was exceeded in several samples, primarily due to the presence of chlorpyrifos and diazinon. Notably, chlorpyrifos, banned for all agricultural purposes in Kenya in 2024, was detected in several samples. These findings highlight the presence of pesticides in Kenyan water bodies, posing potential risks to aquatic ecosystems and underscore a need for stricter regulation, ongoing monitoring, and the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices to minimise the impact of pesticides on the environment.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2025.1623651/fullcitizen sciencepesticidesSBSEGC-QToF-HRMSLake Naivasha, Kenya |
| spellingShingle | Caterina Cacciatori Caterina Cacciatori Giulio Mariani Sara Comero Enock Kiminta Anham Salyani Jackie Myers Vincent Pettigrove Bernd Manfred Gawlik Citizen-engaged screening of 230 pesticides in the Lake Naivasha catchment, Kenya, using stir bar sorptive extraction and GC-QToF-HRMS Frontiers in Environmental Science citizen science pesticides SBSE GC-QToF-HRMS Lake Naivasha, Kenya |
| title | Citizen-engaged screening of 230 pesticides in the Lake Naivasha catchment, Kenya, using stir bar sorptive extraction and GC-QToF-HRMS |
| title_full | Citizen-engaged screening of 230 pesticides in the Lake Naivasha catchment, Kenya, using stir bar sorptive extraction and GC-QToF-HRMS |
| title_fullStr | Citizen-engaged screening of 230 pesticides in the Lake Naivasha catchment, Kenya, using stir bar sorptive extraction and GC-QToF-HRMS |
| title_full_unstemmed | Citizen-engaged screening of 230 pesticides in the Lake Naivasha catchment, Kenya, using stir bar sorptive extraction and GC-QToF-HRMS |
| title_short | Citizen-engaged screening of 230 pesticides in the Lake Naivasha catchment, Kenya, using stir bar sorptive extraction and GC-QToF-HRMS |
| title_sort | citizen engaged screening of 230 pesticides in the lake naivasha catchment kenya using stir bar sorptive extraction and gc qtof hrms |
| topic | citizen science pesticides SBSE GC-QToF-HRMS Lake Naivasha, Kenya |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2025.1623651/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT caterinacacciatori citizenengagedscreeningof230pesticidesinthelakenaivashacatchmentkenyausingstirbarsorptiveextractionandgcqtofhrms AT caterinacacciatori citizenengagedscreeningof230pesticidesinthelakenaivashacatchmentkenyausingstirbarsorptiveextractionandgcqtofhrms AT giuliomariani citizenengagedscreeningof230pesticidesinthelakenaivashacatchmentkenyausingstirbarsorptiveextractionandgcqtofhrms AT saracomero citizenengagedscreeningof230pesticidesinthelakenaivashacatchmentkenyausingstirbarsorptiveextractionandgcqtofhrms AT enockkiminta citizenengagedscreeningof230pesticidesinthelakenaivashacatchmentkenyausingstirbarsorptiveextractionandgcqtofhrms AT anhamsalyani citizenengagedscreeningof230pesticidesinthelakenaivashacatchmentkenyausingstirbarsorptiveextractionandgcqtofhrms AT jackiemyers citizenengagedscreeningof230pesticidesinthelakenaivashacatchmentkenyausingstirbarsorptiveextractionandgcqtofhrms AT vincentpettigrove citizenengagedscreeningof230pesticidesinthelakenaivashacatchmentkenyausingstirbarsorptiveextractionandgcqtofhrms AT berndmanfredgawlik citizenengagedscreeningof230pesticidesinthelakenaivashacatchmentkenyausingstirbarsorptiveextractionandgcqtofhrms |