Triclosan Residues in Estuarine Sediments from Valliyar Estuary,Kanyakumari District,Tamil Nadu,India

Triclosan is an antimicrobial agent added to a wide array of consumer goods and personal care products. Through its use, it is introduced into municipal sewer systems where it is partially removed during wastewater treatment. In this study residues of triclosan (TCS) was measured in surface sediments collected from the Valliyar estuary, Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu, India. Sediment samples were collected from a total of fifteen sampling sites, at different locations of Valliyar estuary near Arabian Sea. Triclosan was widely distributed in the estuarine environment. Concentration of triclosan ranged from 132 to 3073 ng g $^1$ d.w. with a mean concentration of 1102.2 ng g $^1$ d.w. The data obtained provides information on the levels of sources of triclosan in the estuarine environment. When compared with other areas, the triclosan level in the study area are some high. These results underscore the need to improved environmental protection measures in order to reduce the exposure of the population and aquatic biota to this antimicrobial agent.