Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Pentachlorophenol: Environmental partitioning and human exposure

  • Published:
Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper uses a six compartment environmental partitioning model to explore the transport and accumulation of pentachlorophenol (PCP) within and between various environmental media. Environmental concentrations were then used to estimate the amount of PCP entering the food chain and the long-term, average daily intake of PCP by the general population of the U.S. Results show that PCP partitions mainly into soil (96.5%) and that the food chain, especially fruits, vegetables, and grains, accounts for 99.9% of human exposure to PCP. The long-term, average daily intake of PCP is estimated to be 16 μg/day, which agrees well with a previous estimate of 19 μg/day (Geyeret al. 1987).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Arsenault RD (1976) Pentachlorophenol and contained chlorinated dibenzodioxins in the environment. Proceedings of the 72nd Annual Meeting of the American Wood Preservers' Association

  • Arthur D Little Inc (1987) The restoration program. Toxicology Guide Vol 2, Chapter 39, Pentachlorophenol

  • Baes CF III, Sharp RD, Sjoreen A, Shor R (1984) A review and analysis of parameters for assessing transport of environmentally released radionuclides through agriculture. US Department of Energy, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, ORNL-5786, Oak Ridge, TN

    Google Scholar 

  • Bevenue A, Ogata JN, Hylin JW (1972) Organochlorine pesticides in rainwater, Oahu, Hawaii, 1971–1972. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 8(4):238–241

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bevenue A, Wilson J, Casarett LJ, Klemmer HW (1967) A survey of pentachlorophenol content in human urine. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 2(6):319–332

    Google Scholar 

  • Casterline JL Jr, Barnett NM, Ku Y (1985) Uptake, translocation, and transformation of pentachlorophenol in soybean and spinach plants. Environ Res 37:101–118

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cirelli DP (1978) Pentachlorophenol position document 1. Fed Reg 43(202):48446–48477

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen Y, Ryan PA (1985) Multimedia modeling of environmental transport:trichloroethylene test case. Environ Sci Technol 19:412–417

    Google Scholar 

  • Cole LK, Metcalf RL (1980) Environmental destinies of insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides in the plants, animals, soil, air, and water of homologous microcosms. In: Giesy J (ed) Microcosms in ecological research. Technical Information Center, US DOE, p 971

  • Crosby DG (1981) Environmental chemistry of pentachlorophenol. Pure Appl Chem 53:1051–1080

    Google Scholar 

  • Dougherty RC (1978) Human exposure to pentachlorophenol. In:Rao KR (ed) Pentachlorophenol:Chemistry, pharmacology, and environmental toxicology. Plenum Press, New York, p 351

    Google Scholar 

  • Dougherty RC, Piotrowska K (1976) Multiresidue screening by negative chemical ionization mass spectrometry of organic polychlorides. J Assoc Offic Anal Chem 59(5):1023–1027

    Google Scholar 

  • Firestone D, Clower M Jr, Borsetti AP, Teske RH, Long PE (1979) Polychlorodibenzo-p-dioxin and pentachlorophenol residues in milk and blood of cows fed technical pentachlorophenol. J Agric Food Chem 27(6):1171–1177

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gebefugi I, Korte F (1983) Pentachlorophenol contamination of human milk samples. Chemosphere 12(7/8):1055–1060

    Google Scholar 

  • Geyer HJ, Scheunert I, Korte F (1987) Distribution and bioconcentration potential of the environmental chemical pentachlorophenol (PCP) in different tissues of humans. Chemosphere 16(4):887–899

    Google Scholar 

  • — (1986) Bioconcentration potential of organic environmental chemicals in humans. Reg Toxicol Pharm 6:313–347

    Google Scholar 

  • Haque A, Scheunert I, Korte F (1978) Isolation and identification of a metabolite of pentachlorophenol-14C in rice plants. Chemosphere 1:65–69

    Google Scholar 

  • Hilton HW, Yuen QH, Nomura NS (1970) Distribution of residues from atrazine, ametryne, and pentachlorophenol in sugarcane. J Agric Food Chem 18(2):217–220

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) (1979) IARC monographs on the evaluation of the carcinogen risk of chemicals to humans: Some halogenated hydrocarbons, vol 20, p 303

    Google Scholar 

  • International Commission on Radiation Protection (ICRP) (1975) Report of the task group on reference man, number 23, Pergamon Press, NY, p 354

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaufman DD (1978) Degradation of pentachlorophenol in soil, and by soil microorganisms. In:Rao KR (ed) Pentachlorophenol:Chemistry, pharmacology, and environmental toxicology. Plenum Press, New York, p 27

    Google Scholar 

  • Kozak VP, Simsiman GV, Chesters G, Stensby D, Harkin J (1979) Reviews of the environmental effects of pollutants: XI. Chlorophenols. US EPA Health Effects Research Laboratory, EPA-600/1-79-012, Cincinnati, Ohio

  • Kutz FW, Murphy RS, Strassman SC (1978) Survey of pesticide residues and their metabolites in urine from the general population. In:Rao KR (ed) Pentachlorophenol:Chemistry, pharmacology, and environmental toxicology. Plenum Press, New York, p 363

    Google Scholar 

  • Ligocki MP, Leuenberger C, Pankow JF (1985) Trace organic compounds in rain:III. Particle scavenging of neutral organic compounds. Atmos Environ 19(10):1619–1626

    Google Scholar 

  • Mackay D, Paterson S, Cheung B, Neely WB (1985a) Evaluating the environmental behavior of chemicals with a level III fugacity model. Chemosphere 14(3/4):335–374

    Google Scholar 

  • Mackay D, Paterson S, Cheung B (1985b) Evaluating the environmental fate of chemicals:the fugacity-level III approach as applied to 2,3,7,8-TCDD. Chemosphere 14(6/7):859–863

    Google Scholar 

  • Mackay D, Paterson S, Schroeder WH (1986) Model describing the rates of transfer processes of organic chemicals between atmosphere and water. Environ Sci Technol 20(8):810–816

    Google Scholar 

  • Mayland HF, Florence AR, Rosenau RC, Lazar VA, Turner HA (1975) Soil ingestion by cattle on semiarid range as reflected by titanium analysis of feces. J Range Manage 28(6):448–452

    Google Scholar 

  • Morgade C, Barquet A, Pfaffenberger CD (1980) Determination of polyhalogenated phenolic compounds in drinking water, human blood serum and adipose tissue. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 24:257–264

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Murray HE, Ray LE, Giam CS (1981) Analysis of marine sediment, water and biota for selected organic pollutants. Chemosphere 10(11/12):1327–1334

    Google Scholar 

  • Ohe T (1979) Pentachlorophenol residues in human adipose tissue. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 22:287–292

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pierce RH Jr, Brent CR, Wiliams HP, Reeves SG (1977) Pentachlorophenol distribution in a fresh water ecosystem. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 18:251–258

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rappe C, Nygren M, Lindstrom C, Buser HR, Blaser O, Wuthrich C (1987) Polychlorinated dibenzofurans and dibenzo-p-dioxins and other chlorinated contaminants in cow milk from various locations in Switzerland. Environ Sci Technol 21(10):964–970

    Google Scholar 

  • Ray LE, Murray HE, Giam CS (1983a) Organic pollutants in marine sediments from Portland, Maine. Chemosphere 12(7/8):1031–1038

    Google Scholar 

  • — (1983b) Analysis of water and sediment from the Nueces Estuary/Corpus Christi Bay (Texas) for selected organic pollutants. Chemosphere 12(7/8):1039–1045

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryan JJ, Lizotte R, Sakuma T, Mori B (1985) Chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, chlorinated dibenzofurans, and pentachlorophenol in Canadian chicken and pork samples. J Agric Food Chem 33:1021–1026

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt-Bleek F, Haberland W, Klein AW, Caroli S (1982) Steps toward environmental hazard assessment of new chemicals (including a hazard ranking scheme, based upon directive 78/831/EEC). Chemosphere 11(4):383–415

    Google Scholar 

  • Shafik TM (1973) The determination of pentachlorophenol and hexachlorophene in human adipose tissue. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 10(1):57–63

    Google Scholar 

  • Slinn WGN, Hasse L, Hicks BB, Hogan AW, Lal D, Liss PS, Munnich KO, Sehmel GA, Vittori O (1978) Some aspects of the transfer of atmospheric trace constituents past the airsea interface. Atmos Environ 12:2055–2087

    Google Scholar 

  • Spector WS (1959) Handbook of biological data. WB Saunders, Philadelphia, PA

    Google Scholar 

  • Statham CN, Melancon MJ Jr, Leck JL (1976) Bioconcentration of xenobiotics in trout bile:A proposed monitoring aid for some waterborne chemicals. Science 193:680–681

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Travis CC, Arms AD (1988) Bioconcentration of organics in beef, milk, and vegetation. Environ Sci Technol 22(3):271–274

    Google Scholar 

  • — (1987) The food chain as a source of toxics exposure. In: Lave LB, Upton AC (eds) Toxic chemicals, health and the environment. Plenum Press, New York, p 95

    Google Scholar 

  • Travis CC, Hattemer-Frey HA (1987) Human exposure to 2,3,7,8-TCDD. Chemosphere 16(10–12):2331–2342

    Google Scholar 

  • Travis CC, Holton GA, Etnier EL, Cook C, O'Donnell FR, Hetrick DM, Dixon E (1986) Assessment of inhalation and ingestion population exposures from incinerated hazardous wastes. Environ Inter 12:553–540

    Google Scholar 

  • US Environmental Protection Agency (1985) Environmental profiles and hazard indices for constituents of municipal sludge:Pentachlorophenol. Office of Water Regulation and Standards, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • -(1980) Ambient water quality criteria for pentachlorophenol. Office of Water Regulation and Standards EPA-440/5-80-085, Washington, DC

  • Uhl S, Schmid P, Schlatter C (1986) Pharmacokinetics of pentachlorophenol in man. Arch Toxicol 58:182–186

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Weber K, Ernst W (1978) Levels and pattern of chlorophenols in water of the Weser Estuary and the German Bight. Chemosphere 11:873–879

    Google Scholar 

  • Wegman RCC, Hofstee AWM (1979) Chlorophenols in surface waters of the Netherlands (1976–1977). Water Res 13:651–657

    Google Scholar 

  • Wegman RCC, van den Broek HN (1983) Chlorophenols in river sediment in the Netherlands. Water Res 17:227–230

    Google Scholar 

  • Weiss UM, Moza P, Scheunert I, Haque A, Korte F (1982) Fate of pentachlorophenol-14C in rice plants under controlled conditions. J Agric Food Chem 30:1186–1190

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams DT, LeBel GL, Junkins E (1984) A comparison of organochlorine residues in human adipose tissue autopsy samples from two Ontario municipalities. J Toxicol Environ Health 13:19–29

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wong AS, Crosby DG (1978) Photolysis of pentachlorophenol in water. In:Rao, KR (ed) Pentachlorophenol:Chemistry, pharmacology and environmental toxicology. Plenum Press, New York, p 19

    Google Scholar 

  • Yang Y-Y, Nelson CB (1986) An estimation of daily food usage factors for assessing radionuclide intakes in the U.S. population. Health Phys 50(2):245–257

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zitko V, Hutzinger O, Choi PMK (1974) Determination of pentachlorophenol and chlorobiphenylols in biological samples. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 12(6):649–653

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Office of Risk Analysis, Health and Safety Research Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Building 4500S, 37831-6109, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA

    Holly A. Hattemer-Frey & Curtis C. Travis

Authors
  1. Holly A. Hattemer-Frey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Curtis C. Travis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Research was sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under Interagency Agreement number 1564-1564-A1 applicable under Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc., Contract No. DE-AC05-84OR21400 with the U.S. Department of Energy.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hattemer-Frey, H.A., Travis, C.C. Pentachlorophenol: Environmental partitioning and human exposure. Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 18, 482–489 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01055013

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01055013

Keywords

Search

Navigation