Abstract
Extensive fish kills occurred in a freshwater lake in December 1974 and again in December 1976 due to the accidental release of wood-treating wastes containing pentachlorophenol (PCP) in fuel oil. Samples of water, sediment, leaf litter, and fish collected from the lake were analyzed to determine the persistence and distribution of PCP and major PCP-degradation products in the aquatic environment.
PCP was found to persist in the water and in fish for over six months following the spill. Sediment and leaf litter samples retained high concentrations of PCP throughout the two-year period of investigation.
The major degradation products observed were pentachloroanisole (PCP-OCH3) and the 2,3,5,6- and 2,3,4,5-tetrachlorophenol (TCP) isomers. These products were also found to persist in the sediment and fish. The methyl ethers (anisoles) of both TCP isomers were observed in some samples but the small amounts were difficult to quantitate. Tetrachlorophenol appeared to have been formed by photodegradation in the fuel oil solution before entering the lake, while PCP-OCH3 appeared to have been formed within the aquatic environment.
Variations observed in the concentrations of PCP and PCP-degradation products throughout the study indicate that periodic influx occurred from the contaminated water shed area. The persistence of these chemicals in sediment also provided a source of continuous contamination of the aquatic environment.
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© 1978 Plenum Press, New York
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Pierce, R.H., Victor, D.M. (1978). The Fate of Pentachlorophenol in an Aquatic Ecosystem. In: Rao, K.R. (eds) Pentachlorophenol. Environmental Science Research, vol 12. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-8948-8_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-8948-8_5
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