ABSTRACT
Introduced in 1957, atrazine is a herbicide used worldwide, mainly in corn cultivation areas for weed control. It is only slightly volatile, is highly soluble in water, and is moderately persistent in topsoil, where it is strongly absorbed to organic carbon. Because of these properties, atrazine can leach to ground water and persist for a long time. This work presents the results obtained so far from an investigation initiated because of an emergency situation in the Lombardia Region of Italy caused by the occurrence of levels of atrazine in drinking water exceeding those established by the European Economic Community and Italian regulations. Water samples from almost 3000 wells were analyzed in different laboratories of the Lombardia Region. Atrazine contamination occurred in a significant number of the wells examined. Examination of the analytical data overall leads to the conclusion that the agricultural use of atrazine in the Lombardia Region is a serious source of ground water contamination. In some areas other factors may be responsible for the contamination of ground water (for instance, industrial activities and/or uncontrolled waste discharges). Geological and hydrological characteristics may play an important role in ground water contamination. Purification systems containing active charcoal seem to be highly efficient in removing atrazine from contaminated water.
