Mass balance of trichloroacetic acid in the soil top layer

Since the ban on the use of trichloroacetic acid (TCAA) as a herbicide in s everal countries, TCAA is still found ubiquitously in the environment. The presence of TCAA nowadays is suggested to originate mainly from the atmosph eric degradation of tetrachloroethene. Our mass balance calculations indica te that this may be true for the presence of TCAA in the atmosphere. Howeve r, our mass balance calculations also provide tentative evidence for the fo rmation of TCAA in soil. If our calculated production fluxes are realistic estimates, a very large source of TCAA in soil has been identified. (C) 199 8 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.