Transfer of chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides and polychlorinated biphenyls from particles to membranes studied by quenching of fluorescence

Hydrophobic chlorinated hydrocarbons are adsorbed onto particles in the environment. Thus, uptake of chlorinated hydrocarbons into organisms is likely to be from the particle-adsorbed state. We investigated the transfer of chlorinated hydrocarbons from particles to phospholipid membranes, quantified by quenching of the fluorescence of a carbazole-labeled phospholipid which was used to label the membranes. The chlorinated hydrocarbons studied included DDT, DDE, methoxychlor, lindane, stirofos, and several polychlorinated biphenyls. The particles studied were porous glass, kaolinite, cellulose, and silica. Transfer of chlorinated hydrocarbons from particles to vesicles was independent of the chlorinated hydrocarbon concentration. The transfer rate did not depend on binding of lipids to particles, and was independent of the lipid composition of the vesicles. Membrane uptake of chlorinated hydrocarbons from the particle-adsorbed state was more rapid than uptake from the microcrystalline state, and uptake was faster when the chlorinated hydrocarbons were dispersed over larger particle surface areas. The transfer rates of chlorinated hydrocarbons correlated with their aqueous solubilities. In total, these results indicate that chlorinated hydrocarbons are transferred through the aqueous phase. We judge the rate-limiting step in membrane uptake to be the rate of solubilization of the chlorinated hydrocarbons from the particles into the bulk aqueous phase. Adsorption of chlorinated hydrocarbons onto particles may enhance the transfer rate by dispersing the chlorinated hydrocarbons and making them more available for solubilization in the bulk aqueous phase. The data are correlated with a model that assumes diffusion across an unstirred aqueous layer which interfaces with the bulk aqueous phase and the particle.