Studies on toxaphene in the environment. I. Experiences on analytical behavior of PCCs. Studies including pulp mill wastes

Analytical extraction, clean up, GC/ECD and GC/MS/NCI for toxaphene (PCC) was applied to bleached pulp mill effluents and to recipient and background salmon and trout. PCCs were isolated from the persistent fraction with elution through column of Florisil. The first (I) fraction, eluted with hexane, contained most of the aromatic chlorohydrocarbons. The second fraction (II), eluted with hexane: diethyl ether (9:1; v/v), contained PCCs together with lindane (utilized as internal standard), DDT metabolites and chlordanes. GC/ECD method gave in most cases somewhat lower total PCC contents in fish than GC/MS/NCI. The fraction II contained several components of toxaphene insecticide in both background and recipient fish. In contrary, chlorocompounds in pulp mill effluents were not PCC components and remained non-identified, thus far.