PERSISTENT ORGANOCHLORINE PESTICIDE-RESIDUES IN WATER, SEDIMENTS AND WATER HYACINTH EICHHORNIA-CRASSIPES FROM THE FLOODPLAIN OF HIGH PARANARIVER, PORTO-RICO REGION, BRAZIL

Residues of organochlorine pesticides have been monitored in water, in the water hyacinth Eichhomia crassipes and in the sediments of three subsystems of the high Parana river, during the period of August 1992 to August 1994. The Baia river-Guarana lake subsystem presented the gr eatest content and frequency of contamination by organochlorines. Also , sediments in this subsystem have shown higher levels of contaminatio n than water and water hyacinth. The pesticides detected in higher con centration in these subsystems were HCH, aldrin, heptachlor, endosulfa n, p,p'-DDE and p,p'-DDT.