The contamination of organochlorine PESTICIDES (OCPs) from the selected rivers in Okinawa Island was investigated to estimate the current status of pollution in water, plants and surface sediments in these rivers. The Aja River, Asato River, Houtoku River, Kokuba River and Okukubi River were selected for this study. The concentration of the total PESTICIDES were in the range of 0.94-231.8 ng/L in river water, 0.006-191.6 ng/L dry weight in river sediments and 0.001-55.8 ng/L dry weight in plants. Among the OCPs, ΣHCB of α-BHC,β-BHC and Aldrin were the common detected compounds in river water. The α-BHC, Aldrin and Dieldrin were the most frequent detected compounds in river sediments and α-BHC and Dieldrin were the common OCPs detected in plants. Aldrin, Dieldrin and ΣHCB were in abundance. Various contamination patterns between the selected river water, sediments and plants were observed. Aja River, Asato River and Houtoku River were contaminated with α,β,δ,γ- BHC,  Aldrin and Dieldrin (water and sediments) whereas the main OCPs in Kokuba River and Okukubi River were Dieldrin (plants) The OCPs levels in all rivers were generally below guideline values in Japan, but some sites displayed levels which exceeded the EC and WHO Standards for Aldrin, Dieldrin and α, β-BHC.

Background: PESTICIDES are an extremely diverse group of substances with a wide potential for a variety of toxic effects. They are biocidal agents used to control a wide variety of organisms that pose a threat to health or compete for food or other materials. Selective toxicity for the target pest is the principle of pesticide use, but because organisms are similar at the cellular or subcellular level, adverse human health effects may occur. Worldwide estimates suggest the problem of toxicity and death is much greater in developing countries than in developed countries.Material and method: For this cross sectional study, 1279 farmers were selected in 5 provinces through a cluster sampling. Initial data were gathered by a questionnaire and acute and chronic side effects of PESTICIDES were recorded.Results: Totally, 50% of farmers were illiterate, while the mean duration of their work experience was 22 years (18-26 years). In different regions, different PESTICIDES were used, for instance, in Rafsanjan and Savejbolagh most of PESTICIDES were organophosphates (95%). Meanwhile, 68% of farmers did not use any personal protective equipment. Only 5% of farmers noticed the manufacturers' instructions and 27% burned the vessels. Conclusion: Educational package consisting of PESTICIDES and their uses, the techniques of management and control of short and long term effects of pesticide poisoning, the methods of properly and effective use of personal protective equipment, and the necessary acts after use of vessel, should be distributed among farmers.

This study was conducted to evaluate the influence of exogenous supplement Natuzime plus enzyme on growth performance, body composition and survival rate of beluga (Huso huso) juveniles. Juveniles (n = 17 fish per each tank with initial weight of 30 g) were randomly distributed in 150-L tanks and fed with four diets (each in three replicates) containing 0, 2, 5 and 10 % of Natuzime plus multi enzyme for eight weeks. Results showed that survival rate of the fish were in the range of 83-95 % and there were significant differences between treatments. The highest weight gain was recorded in fish fed with 2 % enzyme and being different from the other groups. The specific growth rate was to be ranged from 1. 96 (10 % enzyme) to 2. 32 (2 % enzyme). Feed conversion ratio, protein efficiency ratio and daily growth rate were significantly higher in the diets containing enzymes compared to the control group; and the best performance was attained in 2 % enzyme in the diet. The highest (69. 5 %) body protein content was recorded in the fish fed with 2% enzyme in the diet. The results obtained suggest that dietary inclusion of 2% Natuzime plus enzyme can improve the growth performance and survival rate of beluga juveniles.