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FATE AND PERSISTENCE IN SOIL OF SELECTED TOXIC ORGANIC CHEMICALS
Citation:
Sukol, R., E. Woolson, AND W. Thompson. FATE AND PERSISTENCE IN SOIL OF SELECTED TOXIC ORGANIC CHEMICALS. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/6-87/003.
Description:
The persistence of toxic and generally refractory halogenated hydrocarbons in the environment is a key factor in evaluating human exposure. The report summarizes the chemical and physical properties of some of these compounds and addresses how these properties can affect their persistence and behavior in various environmental media. The property that affects persistence and mobility of organic compounds in soil most directly is water solubility. Within a class of compounds the higher the degree of halogenation, the lower the water solubility, and thus, the greater the persistence. Persistence in the environment is dependent also upon several environmental factors, including soil organic matter, total precipitation and intensity, temperature, intensity of sunlight, and soil texture. In general, the organic carbon content of soil has the greatest effect on the behavior of hydrophobic organic compounds, as these compounds sorb strongly to the organic matter in the soil. Sorbed organic compounds in soil are subject to several possible fates in the environment, including volatilization, microbial degradation, photodecomposition on the soil surface, translocation to plants, chemical degradation, and leaching to ground water.