Accumulation of Organochlorine Pesticides in Medicinal Plant Raw Materials of the Voronezh Region

The purpose of the study is to examine the peculiarities of accumulation of the most dangerous organochlorine pesticides in medicinal plant materials of Voronezh region agrocenoses. Materials and Methods. The author analyzed pharmacopoeial species of medicinal plant raw materials, widespread in central Russia. The plants belong to both natural plant communities and synanthropic vegetation: common nettle leaves, common plantain leaves, ginger plant flowers, small-leaved lime flowers, quinquelobate motherwort herb, absinthium herb, common yarrow herb, knotgrass herb, common burdock roots, and common dandelion roots. Samples of the surface soil were also taken. The author determined dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, hexachlorocyclohexane, hexachlorane, and aldrin content in medicinal plant raw materials and surface soil. The studies were carried out on a Tsvet 500M gas chromatograph with a microsyringe dispenser, glass capillary separation columns and flame ionization detection. Results. Studies of surface soil samples and medicinal plant raw materials showed the virtual absence of organochlorine pesticides in the analyzed materials: the content of hexachlorocyclohexane and its isomers (total) was less than 0.001 mg/kg, the content of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and its metabolites (total) was less than 0.007 mg/kg. Aldrin and hexachlorane were not detected. The results obtained favorably distinguish the Voronezh region from other constituent entities of the Russian Federation, where high concentrations of organochlorine pesticides are periodically detected both in soil and in plants. This fact opens prospects for the cultivation and procurement of wild plants in the Voronezh region.