SPECIFIC PATTERN OF TETRACHLORONAPHTHALENES IN BLACK CORMORANT

The ratio of 1,3,6,7-T4CN (no. 44) to 1,4,6,7-T4CN (no. 47) in the bre ast muscles and liver of black cormorant was 0.65 and 0.47, respective ly, which is much higher than in environmental matrices such as sedime nt (0.015), plankton (0.033), mussel (0.023), crab (0.19), fishes (0.0 80), harbour porpoise (0.035), and juvenile (0.046) and adult (0.13) w hite-tailed sea eagle.1,3,6,7-T4CN (no. 44) has two vicinal (adjacent) carbon atoms at cca positions (4,5-positions) unsubstituted with chlo rine and seems to be much more persistent in black cormorant than 1, 4 , 6,7-T4CN(no. 47), which has two vicinal carbon atoms at beta beta Po sitions (2,3-positions) unsubstituted with chlorine. Since 1, 3, 6,7-T 4CN is not formed during gas phase chlorination of melted naphthalene, and was not found in technical Halowax formulations its presence and relatively higher persistence in body of black cormorants indicate the rmal formation, like in municipal waste combustion, and importance of such processes as a source of potentially toxic and persistent chloron aphthalenes in the environment. (C) 1997 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.