US EPA

Pentachlorophenol is used as an industrial wood preservative for utility poles, crossarms, fence posts, and other purposes(79%); for NaPCP (12%); and miscellaneous including mill uses, consumer wood preserving formulations and herbicide intermediate (9%). hotolysis and microbial degradation are the important chemical removal mechanisms for pentachlorophenol (PCP) in water. irect photolysis may be an important environmental sink for PCP present in the atmosphere. oil degradation studies indicate the PCP is biodegradable; microbial decomposition is an important and potentially dominant removal mechanism in soil. onitoring studies have confirmed the widespread occurrence of PCP in surface waters, groundwater, drinking water and industrial effluents. cute toxicity data indicated that salmonids are more sensitive to the toxic effects of PCP than other fish species. PCP is readily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract of rats, mice, monkeys and humans. he primary route of excretion after oral administration of all species studied is in the urine. eratogenicity/reproductive studies indicate PCP is fetotoxic in rats. Subchronic and chronic toxicity studies show adverse effects in the liver, kidney and immune system. n ADI of 0.03 mg/kg/day or 2.1 mg/day for a 70 kg human was derived from a chronic dietary study in rats. n RQ of 100 was derived based on fetotoxic effects in rats. nadequate evidence exists for carcinogenicity.

Choudhury, H., J. Coleman, C. DeRosa, AND J. Stara. PENTACHLOROPHENOL: HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS PROFILE. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/J-86/503 (NTIS PB89201875).

Toxicology and Industrial Health, 2(4):483-571, 1986