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ORGANOCHLORINE PESTICIDE CONCENTRATIONS AND ENANTIOMER FRACTIONS FOR CHLORDANE IN INDOOR AIR FROM THE U.S. CORNBELT
Citation:
Leone, A. D., E. M. Ulrich, C. E. Bodnar, R L. Falconer, AND R. A. Hites. ORGANOCHLORINE PESTICIDE CONCENTRATIONS AND ENANTIOMER FRACTIONS FOR CHLORDANE IN INDOOR AIR FROM THE U.S. CORNBELT. ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT 34(24):4131-4138, (2001).
Impact/Purpose:
The goal of this task is to contribute to a better understanding of human exposure to pesticides, especially for small children by developing methods to characterize sources and pathways in and around the residential environment. We will support the science behind FQPA and assist the Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) in the development of guidelines for the assessment of residential exposure to pesticides. Specific research objectives include: (i) to evaluate and develop methods for measuring pesticides in air using passive/diffusive samplers. Assess and refine devices for the collection of surface transferable pesticide residues and to establish transfer efficiencies; (ii) to develop and apply analytical methods for new and emerging pesticides using both gas and liquid chromatographic methods in support of the National Exposure Research Laboratory's (NERL) Human Exposure Measurement Project; and, (iii) to conduct pilot studies investigating chiral chromatographic methods.
Description:
Thirty-seven indoor air samples were collected and analyzed to determine if enantioselective degradation of past use organochlorine pesticides occurs indoors and to increase the available information on concentrations in homes. Samples were collected from homes in the U.S. cornbelt region and analyzed for the concentrations of eleven pesticides and the enantiomer signature of chlordanes. Residues were found for all pesticides analyzed in at least several of the samples, with chlordane dominating in most samples. Racemic residues were seen for the chlordane enantiomers in all samples. Since levels of organochlorine pesticides in urban areas are often an order of magnitude above ambient levels, emissions from house foundations may be a source of these compounds to ambient air. Past research has shown selective enantiomeric degradation occurs in many environmental samples resulting in non-racemic residues. Knowledge of the enantiomer signatures of chlordane and other pesticides in different media may be useful for distinguishing sources of chlordane to ambient air.
This work was supported in part by a contract from the Canadian Atmospheric Environment Service. The research described herein was conducted independently of the corresponding author's EPA employment and has not been subjected to the Agency's peer and administrative review. Therefore, the conclusions and opinioins are solely those of the author and shoudl not be construed to reflect the views of the Agency.