Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane in the aquatic ecosystem of the Okavango Delta, Botswana, South Africa.

Concentrations of DDT and its metabolites were measured in water, plants, invertebrates, and fish from lagoons in the Okavango Delta, Botswana (Africa), where DDT has been used for approximately 50 years. The sampling area was sectioned to distinguish spraying for malaria and for African sleeping sickness. Average concentrations of total DDT (sum of DDT and its metabolites) in the Okavango ranged from 0.009 ng/L in water to 18.76 ng/g wet weight in fish. These levels are approximately 1% of those found in piscivorous fish from temperate North America. The dichlorodiphenyl ethylene (DDE) metabolite was the most abundant fraction of total DDT. Although total DDT concentrations were higher in areas treated for malaria than areas treated for sleeping sickness, these concentrations were likely driven by factors other than the historic application of the pesticide. Equilibration with air concentrations is the most likely explanation for these levels. Since the mean annual temperature exceeds the temperature of vaporization of DDT, this research points to the need for reliable transport models. Our results showed that total DDT concentration in fish was best explained by lipid content of the fish and trophic position inferred by delta15N, regardless of DDT application history in those areas. The reservoir above Gaborone Dam, an area downstream of the Okavango but where DDT had not been used, was sampled to compare total DDT levels to the treated areas. The two species (a herbivorous threespot talapia and the omnivorous sharptooth catfish) from Gaborone had levels higher than those found in the Okavango Delta, but these differences can again be explained using trophic position inferred by delta15N rather than by fish size or location.