Research Product

The fate of 14C-Kepone was studied in static and continuous flow estuarine microcosms. Biotic and abiotic transformation and volatilization were not important processes in these studies. Kepone desorbed readily from salt marsh sediments and James River sediments. While this desorption was independent of environmental temperatures and salinity ranges, Kepone residues in sediment influenced concentrations in water column. Radioactivity was not extractable from some James River sediments, using recognized analytical procedures. In larger continuous flow systems, benthic polychaetes (Arenicola cristata) accumulated high residues of Kepone, died, and decomposed. These residues were never available for desorption compared to sediment. These data will allow better prediction of the fate of Kepone in the aquatic environment.