Polychlorinated biphenyls and other organic chemical residues in fish from major United States watersheds near the Great Lakes, 1978

Twenty-six composite samples of fish were collected during 1978 from United States watersheds near the Great Lakes and analyzed for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and related organic chemicals. PCB mixtures resembling Aroclor 1254 were found in all samples, and mixtures resembling Aroclor 1242 (or 1016) were found in 77 percent of the samples. Total PCB concentrations in the whole-fish composite samples ranged from 0.13 to 14.6 ppm; 65 percent of the samples contained more than 2 ppm PCBs. DDT and its metabolites were found in all samples. sigma DDT concentration was 1.66 ppm, and 81 percent of the samples contained less than 1.0 ppm sigma DDT. Chlordane ranged from less than 0.001 to 2.57 ppm in 38 percent of the samples. Hexachlorobenzene was found in 65 percent of the samples, ranging from less than 0.005 to 0.447 ppm. Other chemicals identified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry included petroleum hydrocarbons and chlorobenzenes, chlorostyrenes, chlorophenols, and chlorinated aliphatic compounds. Fish from the Ashtabula River (Ohio), Rock River (Ohio), and Wabash River (Indiana) contained extremely complex residues of chlorinated and other organic chemicals.     

Residues of polychlorinated biphenyls and DDT in water and sediment of the St. Lucie Estuary, Florida, 1977.

sigma DDT residues in the St. Lucie River bottom sediments increased after Lake Okeechobee water was discharged through the St. Lucie Canal into the area. sigma DDT levels were highest in sediment samples from the Palm City area, ranging from 1.8 ppb to 6.15 ppb. Sediment samples from the A1A Highway Bridge area contained 1.6-6.8 ppb Aroclor 1254. Levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and sigma DDT in sediment samples from the junction of the St. Lucie and Indian Rivers were not detectable. Surface water samples from the estuary did not show any detectable DDT or PCB residues.     

Residues of organochlorine insecticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in fish from Lakes Saint Clair and Erie, Canada--1968-76.

Eighteen species of fish from Lake Saint Clair and 19 species from Lake Erie were analyzed for organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) between 1968 and 1976. Mean residues of sigma DDT peaked at 1.19 ppm in longnose gar (Lepisosteus osseus) caught in Lake Saint Clair in 1970-71, but had declined in all species by 1975-76. Dieldrin levels in fish tissues increased over the same period. White bass (Morone chrysops), caught in 1975 in Lake Erie, had the highest mean residue of dieldrin at 0.17 ppm. PCB residues increased in some species and decreased in others. PCB residues exceeding the tolerance level of Health and Welfare Canada were found in the following: from Lake Saint Clair, smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieui) in 1975 and channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) in 1971; from Lake Erie, coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) in 1970, smallmouth bass, alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus), freshwater drum (Aplodinotus grunniens), and gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) in 1971, and white bass in 1971 and 1976.     

Polychlorinated biphenyl contamination of areas surrounding two transformer salvage companies, Colman, South Dakota--September 1977

Soil, corn plants, and foliage from areas surrounding two electrical salvage companies involved in reconditioning old transformers had unusually high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Levels decreased as distance from the factories increased. PCBs were dispersed into the air through incineration of waste oils; water and soil contamination was caused by runoff from the factories. PCBs found in the contaminated areas closely resembled Aroclor 1260 as did the PCBs in the waste oil, whereas PCBs in other areas were more similar to Aroclor 1254. PCBs on surface soils taken from an unplowed pasture near the factories also resembled Aroclor 1260, whereas samples taken from depths of 2-4 inches showed degradation of some PCB isomers. PCB concentrations in corn cobs and kernels were < 0.05 ppm, whereas leaves contained PCB levels of up to 2.2 ppm. PCB levels in earthworms and small rodents collected near the factories were considerably higher than levels in the same types of animals collected from other areas.     

PCB's in fish from selected waters of New York State.

PCB residues in fish from 41 stations throughout New York State were monitored in 1975. Nearly all fish contained PCB's in detectable amounts although the levels of contamination and specific Aroclor varied. The Hudson River contained the highest known PCB concentrations within the United States; levels often exceeded 100 ppm. Other waters and fish which were significantly contaminated include Lake Ontario salmonids and Cayuga Lake lake trout. Onondaga Lake, previously closed to fishing because of mercury contamination, also appears to have abnormally high levels of PCB's approaching in some instances the action level of the Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Samples from marine waters generally have contaminant levels substantially below 5.0 ppm.     

Organochlorine pesticide residues in soils from six U.S. Air Force bases, 1975--76.

Soil samples collected during 1975 and 1976 from United States Air Force installations in California, Georgia, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah were analyzed for organochlorine pesticide residues. Sigma DDT, chlordane, and dieldrin were the pesticides most commonly found. In 1975, sigma DDT residues were significantly higher in samples from residential areas than in samples from golf courses or areas free of pesticide application. Chlordane residues in 1975 were significantly higher in both residential and golf course areas than in areas where pesticides had not been used. No significant differences were found in 1976 in residue levels of any pesticide monitored among various land use areas.     

Residues of DDT in cottonseed after spraying with DDT and torbidan

DDT at 1.12 and 2.24 kg/ha a.i. and Torbidan at 5 and 10 litre formulation/ha (1 and 2 kg DDT/ha) were sprayed five times on cotton over a period of 15 weeks. Seeds from the first pick of the crop were found to contain as residues pp′-DDT and pp′-DDE [1,1-dichloro-2,2-di- (4-chlorophenyl)ethylene]. The highest residue level (0.783 parts/10⁶) was found in seeds from Torbidan 10 litre/ha treatment.     

Organochlorine residues in fish: National Pesticide Monitoring Program, 1970-74

As part of the National Pesticide Monitoring Program, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service analyzed organochlorine contaminant residues in fish samples collected from about 100 stations each year from 1970 to 1974. During this period, mean residues of DDT and its metabolites declined nationally but remained widespread, and high concentrations continued to be present in areas where DDT use was extensive. Results of interlaboratory crosscheck analyses supported these conclusions, despite interpretation problems posed by intercompound analytical interferences in 1970 and 1971. Temporal trends in PCB residues were less obvious. Highest PCB residues were found in the industrialized areas of the Northwest and Midwest, and traces were present at most stations. Dieldrin and endrin residues remained essentially unchanged during this period; dieldrin residues were widespread and were highest in Hawaii and in areas of the Midwest where aldrin was used extensively. Toxaphene occurrence increased; it was formerly found only in fish from streams draining cotton-farming regions, but residues were detected in 1974 samples from other areas. According to the recommendation of the National Academy of Sciences' Water Quality Criteria, organochlorine residues in freshwater fish may have represented a hazard to piscivorous fish and wildlife at 71 percent of the stations sampled in 1970 and 66 percent in 1974.     

DDT residues in rainwater in New Brunswick and estimate of aerial transport of DDT into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, 1967-68

Residues of DDT were detected in 76 of 101 samples of rainwater collected during spring and summer at several sites in the Province of New Brunswick in 1967 and 1968, and at one site in the Magdalen Islands, Quebec, in 1968. The dominant residue was p,p'-DDT. Levels of DDT and metabolites combined ranged from less than 0.01 to 1.33 microgram/kg. Levels of DDT and metabolites in the pollen of four species of forest trees in New Brunswick ranged from 0.544 to 1.01 mg/kg; such contaminated pollen possibly contributed to residues in rainwater. Residue data for rainwater from two sites were used to estimate the amount of DDT aerially transported into the Gulf of St. Lawrence during July to October 1968.     

Residues of organochlorine insecticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in fish from Lakes Huron and Superior, Canada--1968-76.

Five species of fish from Lake Superior and 12 species from Lake Huron were analyzed for organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) between 1968 and 1975. Mean residues of sigma DDT peaked at 1.72 ppm and 7.60 ppm in lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) from Lakes Superior and Huron, respectively. By 1975, the mean level of sigma DDT had decreased in lake trout and was highest in bloaters (Coregonus hoi) from both lakes: 1.06 ppm and 1.87 ppm, respectively. Dieldrin levels in fish from Lake Superior changed little over the same period. However, in 1969-70, dieldrin levels in fish from Lake Huron exceeded the 0.3 ppm tolerance level set by Health and Welfare Canada or the Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare in 5 percent of lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) and 10 percent of bloaters. By 1975, 50 percent of bloaters caught in Georgian Bay and North Channel had dieldrin levels above 0.3 ppm. PCB residues declined in lake trout and lake whitefish caught in Lake Superior between 1971 and 1975, but increased slightly in bloaters and white sucker (Catostomus commersoni). Mean PCB residues in bloaters caught in Lake Huron in 1969-71 and 1975-76, and splake (Salvelinus fontinalis and S. namaycush) and cisco (Coregonus artedii) caught in 1975 exceeded the 2 ppm tolerance level.     

The accumulation and distribution of pp′DDT and related compounds in an apple orchard .I. residues in the soil

Soils from an orchard sprayed annually (1953-1969) with technical DDT (77% pp′DDT and 22 % pp′DDT) were analysed for residues from 1964 until 1969. The amount of DDT found after 17 years was 21 %pp′DDTout of 27.1 kg/ha applied, and 7 % of pp′DDT out of 7.6 kg/ha. The vertical distribution of residues (pp′DDT, pp′DDE, pp′TDE and pp′DDT) showed a linear relationship between log amount and depth, with approximately 80% in the top 10 cm of soil. At depths from 50 to 210 cm, residue values were too small to be determined (i.e. < 1 ng/g dry wt). The surface distribution in the orchard showed a systematic pattern of circular areas of residues, with maximum values centred at each trunk (7.5 μg/g) and decreasing rapidly to each alley (1.9 ug/g). The levels of pp′DDT had reached a steady state (3-4 kg/ha) and the half-life time was calculated as 3.0 j′ears. pp′DDE (1.8 kg/ha) was the main metabolite of pp′DDT. Small amounts of pp′TDE were also found, pp′DDT was less persistent than pp′DDT, with a half-life time of 1.5 years.     

Pesticide residues in foodstuffs in Great Britain: Organochlorine residues in imported cereals,nuts, pulses and animal foodstuffs

Results are presented for the determination of organochlorine insecticide residues in imported cereals, nuts, pulses and animal foodstuffs for the 2 year period July 1969 to June 1971. BHC was found in all but four of the 248 samples examined but only in 25 (10%) did the level exceed 0.5 mg/kg. DDT was found in 39% of the samples of which three samples of wheat contained more than 1 mg/kg and two samples of cottonseed cake more than 0.5 mg/kg. The other commodities sampled had less than 0.2 mg/kg. DDE was detected in trace amounts in 26 % of the samples examined.     

Nationwide residues of organochlorine compounds in wings of adult mallards and black ducks, 1979-80

Organochlorine residues in wings of adult mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) and black ducks (Anas rubripes) were monitored nationwide from birds harvested during the 1979-80 hunting season. DDE residues were found in all samples. DDT residues had declined from levels reported in 1976 on a flyway basis but the decline was significant (P less than 0.05) only in the Pacific Flyway. Levels of DDT, DDE, TDE, and dieldrin were low on a flyway basis, and all but DDE declined significantly (P less than 0.05) in the percent occurrence. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) levels were lower in mallard wings from all flyways compared with 1976 data, but percent occurrence had significantly (P less than 0.05) increased. Pools from Alabama and New Mexico continued to show higher DDE residues than pools from other areas.     

Organochlorine pollutants in small cetaceans from the Pacific and south Atlantic Oceans, November 1968-June 1976

Organochlorine residues were analyzed in blubber, brain, or muscle tissues of 69 individuals representing 10 species of small cetaceans. Collections were made from November 1968 through June 1976 at localities in the Eastern Tropical Pacific and along the coasts of California, Hawaii, Japan, and Uruguay, Relations of residue concentrations between tissues are described for DDE and PCBs in two dolphin species. sigma DDT and PCB residues in blubber of most of the 19 individuals of the five southern California species sampled exceed concentrations that are associated with reproductive impairment in pinnipeds, although the nature of such associations is not well defined. The sigma DDT residue of 2,695 ppm in blubber of one California coastal Tursiops truncatus is one of the highest concentrations reported in tissues of members of any population of wild mammals. Except for one rough-toothed dolphin (Steno bredanensis) from Maui, Hawaii, all individuals from all localities surveyed were contaminated with organochlorine compounds. Seventeen different organochlorines were detected; greatest diversity occurred near Japan and California. This is the first report of several of these compounds in tissues of any species of marine mammals. The o,p'-isomers and metabolites of DDT were detected unusually frequently. Ratios of p,p'-DDT to p,p'-DDE in blubber of cetaceans from waters off countries where use of this pesticide has been relatively recent and ongoing were at least an order of magnitude higher than in cetaceans from United States waters.     

Uptake,metabolism and effects of DDT,fenitrothion and chlorpyrifos on Tetrahymena pyriformis

The uptake and metabolism of DDT, fenitrothion and chlorpyrifos were studied in cultures of the ciliate protozoan Tetrahymena pyriformis. When cultures were treated with DDT in concentrations varying from 0.01 to 0.5 μg ml⁻¹, concentrations found in T. pyriformis were 3.8 to 335 μg g⁻¹ dry weight. The accumulation of fenitrothion ranged from 28.7 μg g⁻¹ in cultures treated with 1 μg ml⁻¹ to 2260 μg g⁻¹ in cultures treated with 10 μg ml⁻¹. Under similar experimental conditions chlorpyrifos was accumulated from 24.7 to 15400 μg g⁻¹. The patterns of uptake were dependent on the growth cycle, the ability of the organism to metabolise insecticide and the type of the insecticide used. Maximum accumulation of DDT, fenitrothion and chlorpyrifos occurred in 2, 4 and 6 h respectively. Tetrahymena metabolised DDT to DDD and DDE but failed to metabolise fenitrothion and chlorpyrifos. The effects on growth and morphology of T. pyriformis were studied over a period of 5 days. Higher concentrations (10, 50 and 100 μg ml⁻¹) of DDT inhibited only the growth of the organisms and did not change cell morphology. Fenitrothion was extremely toxic to the organisms and at 5 and 10 μg ml⁻¹ cells became more or less spherical and died after 48 h. However, concentrations of 0.5, 1 and 2.5 μg ml⁻¹ fenitrothion caused growth inhibition, but only at 2.5 μg ml⁻¹ was this permanent. Chlorpyrifos inhibited the growth of the organisms at 1, 5 and 10 μg ml⁻¹ but the morphology was affected only at 5 and 10 μg ml⁻¹.     

Organochlorine residues in aquatic environments in Iran, 1974.

Organochlorine pesticide residues in various organisms from different aquatic ecosystems in Iran were investigated in spring 1974. DDT levels were high in fish taken from two rivers in southern Iran, whereas low levels were detected in samples obtained from a freshwater lake in the same area. Fish from two of the reservoirs supplying Tehran with potable water contained moderate levels of DDT. The low residue level in pike collected in the Bandar-Pahlavi Mordab in northwest Iran indicates that only a small amount of organochlorine pesticides used in this area enters the pelagic food chain. Sturgeon collected at different places in the Caspian Sea showed similar accumulations of DDT in the muscles and in the eggs. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were detected only in samples of sediment from the drainage systems in Tehran.     

DDT and DDE in the blood and diet of eskimo children from Hooper Bay, Alaska

An analysis of the levels of DDT and DDE in the blood of some Alaskan Eskimo children and in the fat of some local marine mammals taken for food suggests that the children's pesticide burdin is only modestly lower than that of other American children. Authors suggest that some other food source, perhaps packaged food, supplies a portion of the dietary chlorohydrocarbon pesticide.     

Nationwide residues of organochlorines in wings of adult mallards and black ducks, 1972-73.

Organochlorine residues in wings of adult mallards and black ducks were monitored during the 1972-73 hunting season. DDE, DDT, DDD, dieldrin, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's) were present in all samples. Mallard wings from Alabama contained the highest mean levels of DDE, DDT, DDD, dieldrin, and PCB's. Mallards and black ducks from the Atlantic Flyway and mallards from the Pacific Flyway contained significantly lower DDE residues than in 1969-70. Black ducks from the Atlantic Flyway contained significantly less dieldrin than in 1969-70, and mallards in the Central and Pacific Flyways contained significantly lower levels of PCB's. As in 1969-70, DDE residues were lowest in the Central Flyway and highest in the Atlantic Flyway. The average PCB level remained unchanged in the Atlantic Flyway but was higher in the Mississippi Flyway than in 1969-70, probably because of the unusually high levels in Alabama samples. All organochlorine residues in black ducks from the Atlantic Flyway significantly correlated. DDE concentrations in mallards from the Atlantic Flyway significantly correlated with those of DDT, DDD, and PCB's.     

Organochlorine residues in young herons from the upper Mississippi River-1976.

Chicks of great blue herons (Ardea herodias) from four heronaries located near South St. Paul, Royalton, and Wabasha, Minnesota, and La Crosse, Wisconsin, were analyzed for organochlorines, Highest mean wet-weight concentrations, 6.43 ppm PCBs. 1.31 ppm DDE, and 1.90 ppm sigma DDT, were found in the South St. Paul chicks. Among chicks from the other three heronries, most levels were similar, but were significantly lower than levels in South St. Paul chicks. Lowest mean organochlorine levels, 0.37 ppm DDE, 0.38 ppm sigma DDT, and 0.22 ppm PCBs, were found in chicks from Royalton. All birds from South St. Paul and La Crosse contained residues of DDT and TDE whereas only one of the 10 birds from Royalton contained DDT and one contained TDE residues. Five of the 12 birds from Wabasha contained DDT; eight contained TDE. Except for PCB residues in La Crosse heron chicks, the rate of organochlorine residue accumulation in the birds was generally less than the rate of dilution caused by growth.     

DDT and inflammatory responses: 2. Bacterial endotoxin-induced pulmonary oedema in mice and rats

Escherichia coli endotoxin instilled intranasally into mice and rats caused a severe pulmonary oedema associated with progressive increases in lung weights of up to 30% within 2 days. When mice were injected with DDT (20 mg/kg) 20 and 2 hr prior to the administration of endotoxin the animals were found to be tolerant to the endotoxin. The inflammatory oedema induced by endotoxin is caused by release of lung histamine, and as DDT injections also lowered histamine content in the lungs, the protective effect of DDT against the oedema induced by endotoxin appears to be due to its prior depletion of the lung histamine stores. An opposite effect, increased and accelerated inflammation, was observed by chronic exposure of rats to dietary DDT (150 ppm) fed for 36 days. The long-term feeding of DDT is known to cause adaptations in many physiological systems. One of these may be increased histamine synthesis and subsequently increased severity of histamine mediated reactions.