Behaviour of α-, β-, γ-, and δ-hexachlorocyclohexane in the soil–plant system of a contaminated site

The behaviour of the organochlorine pesticide hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) is investigated. The concentrations of α-, β-, γ-, and δ-HCH isomers were measured in soils, rhizosphere and vegetation in a contaminated area in Galicia (NW Spain). The total concentration of HCH in soils reached values close to 20 000 mg kg−1. The plants analysed (Avena sativa L., Chenopodium spp., Solanum nigrum L., Cytisus striatus (Hill) Roth, and Vicia sativa L.) accumulated HCH, especially the β-HCH isomer, in their tissues. The most likely mechanisms of HCH accumulation in plants were sorption of soil HCH on roots and sorption of volatilized HCH on aerial plant tissues. The concentrations of HCH obtained from the bulk and rhizosphere soils of selected plant species suggest that roots tend to reduce levels of the HCH isomers in the rhizosphere. The results reflect the importance of vegetation in the distribution of organochlorine compounds in the soil–plant system.