Component Patterns of Chlordanes in Seawater, River Water, Fish and Shellfish

Abstract

The component patterns of chlordanes (total of 19 compounds) in seawater, river water, and fish (fresh water fish, 4 species; marine fish, 3 species) and shellfish (marine shellfish, 3 species) were examined by mass spectrometry with selected ion monitoring. The samples were collected from several sampling stations in Tokyo Bay, and in the Tama and Edo Rivers during 1980-1984. The component patterns of chlordanes in river water and seawater samples resembled that of technical chlordane. The patterns in various samples were increasingly different from that of technical chlordane in the following order; river water, seawater, marine shellfish, freshwater fish, marine fish. In general, highly chlorinated components (e. g. traps-nonachlor, cis-chlordane, compound 5) in technical chlordane were more persistent in the aquatic biota. The patterns of chlordanes were similar in all freshwater fish (Pseudorasbora parva) samples collected at four sampling stations in the Tama River, and also in muscle and in viscera of each marine and freshwater fish sample. Different patterns were observed in each species of marine and freshwater fish. The metabolites, oxychlordane and heptachlor epoxide, in these aquatic organisms were present at relatively low levels in relation to chlordanes.