METABOLITES OF XENOBIOTICA AND MINERAL-OIL CONSTITUENTS LINKED TO MACROMOLECULAR ORGANIC-MATTER IN POLLUTED ENVIRONMENTS

The type of association between pollutants and humic substances of soi ls, sediments and river waters has been investigated. Metabolites, whi ch can arise from the microbiological degradation of polyaromatic hydr ocarbons (PAH) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), were cleaved from the macromolecular matrix by selective chemical degradation techniques (OH-, BCl3, Rh/H-2). Hydrolysis reactions performed with (NaOH)-O-18 proved that some metabolites of pollutants form stable ester bonds by condensation processes with functional groups of humic substances, a p henomenon which has major implications for transport, toxicity and bio availability of xenobiotica.