Abstract

This study was carried out to determine the levels of Organochlorine pesticides in fish captured from Eleyele Lake. The Lake receives effluents discharged from cassava processing site, agricultural farm land, and waste water from domestic activities from the neighboring homes. Oreochromis niloticus, Clarias gariepinus and Hepsetus odoe were sampled from the Lake because of their abundance and economic importance. The levels of organochlorine pesticide residues were determined using Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry equipped with electron capture detector. The mean concentrations of organochlorine pesticide residues in the fish sampled were in this order Oreochromis niloticus > Hepsetus odoe > Clarias gariepinus; 27.50±8.71ng/g, 11.87±1.83ng/g and 5.81±4.90ng/g respectively. Among the organochlorine pesticides components examined, Endosulfan I had the highest concentrations in all the fish species. This study also revealed that, all the detected pesticide residues in the fish samples studied were above the Maximum Residues Limits and this can be an important process of transferring pesticides to humans. It also indicated that there is an extensive presence and usage of these pesticides in the study environment.