Anthropogenic footprint and ecological risk assessment of organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in sediments from Lake Victoria, East Africa

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dc.contributor.authorKagoya, Afuwa
dc.contributor.authorArinaitwe, Kenneth
dc.contributor.authorOdongo, Silver
dc.contributor.authorSifuna, Douglas
dc.contributor.authorMatovu, Henry
dc.contributor.authorMatsiko, Julius
dc.contributor.authorMuhwezi, Godfrey
dc.contributor.authorˇSp´anik, Ivan
dc.contributor.authorKato, Charles Drago
dc.contributor.authorSillanpa, Mika
dc.contributor.authorSsebugere, Patrick
dc.date.accessioned2026-01-06T09:34:56Z
dc.date.available2026-01-06T09:34:56Z
dc.date.issued2025-12-15
dc.descriptionThe paper provides scientific evidence on pollution levels and ecological risks from organochlorine pesticides and PCBs in Lake Victoria sediments. Its findings support Uganda’s NDP IV objectives on environmental protection, sustainable natural resource management, and climate resilient development by informing policy actions in agriculture, waste management, and water resources. The study contributes to SDG 6 by highlighting threats to water quality, SDG 12 through promoting responsible chemical use, SDG 14 by protecting aquatic ecosystems, and SDG 15 by supporting biodiversity conservation. Overall, the research strengthens evidence based planning for sustainable livelihoods and ecosystem health in Uganda.
dc.description.abstractLake Victoria, the world’s second-largest freshwater lake, continues to face pressure from anthropogenic activities in its catchment area, releasing pollutants, which are ultimately trapped in the sediment core, thereby posing threats to aquatic organisms. This study quantified thirteen organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and ten polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in sediments from the Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania sides of Lake Victoria using soxhlet method, fractionation column and GC–MS/MS analysis. Total (∑13) OCPs levels were up to 412, 148, and 522 µg kg-1 dry weight (d.w), and 12.1, 8.69 and 9.87 µg kg-1 dw for total (∑10) PCBs for sediments from Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania, respectively. Diagnostic ratios suggested past and ongoing use of OCPs while principal component analysis confirmed that OCP profiles were mainly due to their application in controlling pests in agriculture and public health programs, and PCB congeners were largely due to volatilization, degradation of higher PCBs into lighter PCBs, improper waste disposal of old transformers, hydraulic fluids, plasticizers, and capacitors. Ecological risk assessment highlighted that the PCB levels in sediments were below threshold effect and probable effect levels, but p,p′-DDD, and lindane were likely to pose adverse effects to sediment-dwelling organisms in Lake Victoria. These results imply persistent pollutant loads in Lake Victoria, and consequently, a need for its enhanced management.
dc.description.sponsorshipMakerere University Research and Innovation Fund (Grant No RIF/080/22, MAKRIF/CH/01/21, MAKRIF/ CH/02/21); International Foundation for Science (ISF) and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) (Joint Grant No I-2_W/4880–2); Austrian Partnership Programme in Higher Education and Research under project 249 - Environmental Chemistry for Sustainable Development; Slovak Research and Development Agency (Grant No APVV-21–0178); Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (Grant No UGA-1185413-GF-E); and the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) for the project EIRENE (Grant No 101079789); the Erasmus+International Credit Mobility programme (Grant No 2022–1-SK01-KA171-HED-000077735).
dc.identifier.citationKagoya, A., Arinaitwe, K., Odongo, S., Sifuna, D., Matovu, H., Matsiko, J., Muhwezi, G.,ˇSp´anik, I., Kato, C.D., Sillanpa, M., Ssebugere, P, & Ssebugere, P. (2025). Anthropogenic footprint and ecological risk assessment of organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in sediments from Lake Victoria, East Africa. Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances, 100979.
dc.identifier.issn2772-4166
dc.identifier.urihttps://dir.muni.ac.ug/handle/20.500.12260/853
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherElsevier
dc.subjectPCBs
dc.subjectOCPs
dc.subjectSediments
dc.subjectSources
dc.subjectEcological risks
dc.subjectAquatic organisms
dc.titleAnthropogenic footprint and ecological risk assessment of organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in sediments from Lake Victoria, East Africa
dc.typeArticle

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