Long-Term Environmental Impacts of Pesticide and Herbicide Use in Panama Canal Zone
Kenneth Ray Olson, Donna Tornoe
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引用次数: 7
Abstract
The opening of the Panama Canal in 1913 transformed ocean-shipping and the availability of internationally-traded goods, shortened travel time between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, increased ship tonnage, and sparked the growth of port authorities on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the Panama Canal. Historically, the United States was number one and China was number two in tons of cargo that pass through the canal annually in the high stakes game of import and export markets. Prior to the construction of the Panama Canal, the most efficient way to cross the 82-kilometer isthmus, between the Port of Panama City on the Pacific and the Port of Colon on the Atlantic, was by mule trails through tropical forests and river transportation. Since the construction of the Panama Canal through tropical forests in the 1910s, pesticides have been essential for managing mosquitoes as well as controlling wetland vegetation that blocked lakes, rivers and the canal. The primary objective of this research study is to document the long-term environmental impacts of pesticide and herbicide use in the Panama Canal Zone. Many of these chemicals, including 2,4,-D, 2,4,5-T and DDT, have a long half-life under water and some, like arsenic (As), have no half-life. Pesticides and chemicals flowed into Lake Gatun via surface runoff either in solution or attached to the sediment during the rainy season. The by-product 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is an unanticipated contaminant created during the manufacture of the herbicide 2,4,5-T. TCDD can bio-accumulate in fish and birds and enter into the human food supply. The extent of the current chemical and pesticide contamination on former U.S. military base grounds and in Lake Gatun is unknown. Systematic soil sampling of current and former military bases, chemical disposal sites and Lake Gatun or the Panama Canal sediments is needed to determine if mitigation is necessary. How to cite this paper: Olson, K.R. and Tornoe, D. (2021) Long-Term Environmental Impacts of Pesticide and Herbicide Use in Panama Canal Zone. Open Journal of Soil Science, 11, 403-434. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojss.2021.119021 Received: August 20, 2021 Accepted: September 4, 2021 Published: September 7, 2021 Copyright © 2021 by author(s) and Scientific Research Publishing Inc. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY 4.0). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
巴拿马运河区农药和除草剂使用的长期环境影响
1913年巴拿马运河的开通改变了远洋运输和国际贸易货物的可用性,缩短了太平洋和大西洋之间的旅行时间,增加了船舶吨位,并引发了巴拿马运河大西洋和太平洋沿岸港口当局的发展。从历史上看,在进出口市场的高风险博弈中,每年通过运河的货物吨数中,美国排名第一,中国排名第二。在巴拿马运河建成之前,穿越太平洋上的巴拿马城港和大西洋上的科隆港之间长达82公里的地峡的最有效方式是通过热带森林和河流运输的骡子小道。自从巴拿马运河在20世纪10年代穿过热带森林建造以来,杀虫剂对于控制蚊子以及控制阻塞湖泊、河流和运河的湿地植被至关重要。本研究的主要目的是记录巴拿马运河区使用农药和除草剂对环境的长期影响。许多化学物质,包括2,4,-D, 2,4,5-T和滴滴涕,在水下有很长的半衰期,而像砷(As)这样的化学物质则没有半衰期。在雨季,农药和化学物质以溶液或附着在沉积物上的形式通过地表径流流入加通湖。副产物2,3,7,8-四氯二苯并对二恶英(TCDD)是在除草剂2,4,5- t生产过程中产生的一种意想不到的污染物。TCDD可以在鱼类和鸟类体内生物积累,并进入人类的食物供应。目前,美国前军事基地和加通湖的化学和农药污染程度尚不清楚。需要对现有和以前的军事基地、化学品处置地点以及加通湖或巴拿马运河沉积物进行系统的土壤取样,以确定是否有必要采取缓解措施。Olson, K.R.和Tornoe, D.(2021)巴拿马运河区农药和除草剂使用的长期环境影响。土壤学报,11(1),403-434。https://doi.org/10.4236/ojss.2021.119021收稿日期:2021年8月20日收稿日期:2021年9月4日出版日期:2021年9月7日版权所有©作者与科研出版公司。本作品采用知识共享署名国际许可协议(CC BY 4.0)。http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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