MULTI-RESIDUE ANALYSIS OF FREQUENTLY APPLIED HERBICIDES FROM SOIL SAMPLES TAKEN IN THE AREA OF HALLE S. (FRG)/

A high-resolution multimethod is presented for simultaneous determinat ion of frequently applied s-triazine and phenoxyalkanoic acid herbicid es extracted from soil samples. The method involves precipitation of i nterfering humic substances, enrichment of analytes by solid-phase ext raction (SPE) and identification by reversed-phase high-performance li quid chromatography coupled to diode-array detection (RP-HPLC-DAD). Fr equent contents of s-triazine residues vary between 10 and 30 mu g x k g(-1)dry soil. 50 % of investigated pedogenic material shows s-triazin e residues in the range of 10 mu g x kg(-1). Heavily impacted areas (o rchards, herbicide storage areas) often show contents in the range fro m more than 100 up to 433 mu g x kg(-1). Phenoxyalkanoic acid herbicid es could be shown to diminish completely within three weeks after appl ication. An example of temporal and spatial variability of soil's adso rptive behaviour is given.