Document yboNpjJ7LwyNqoBabvwgXeBJV
DEPARTMENT OF ZOOLOGY P. 0. DRAWER Z STATE COLLEGE, MISSISSIPPI 39742 PHONE (401) 323-4321, EXT. 104
2 March 1967
Mr. L. C. Fuhrmeister Technical Services Superintendent Monsanto Chemical Company Anniston> Alabama 36202
Dear Mr. Fuhrmeister;
I was shocked and grieved to learn about Gene Coley. His loss is going to make our efforts considerably more difficult.
Last Friday one of ray students went to Anniston to bring home ~he last of our caged fish and to restock the cages. During rhe night the water in the plastic containers froze and he lost 90 bluegills that were to have been placed in the cages. On Saturday he found uhat all caged fish below Anniston were dead; those upstream were alive.
I had made plans to bring two students over this Saturday and
Mr. Coley was to have shown us where we might seine bluegills during
che weekend. We are coming anyway. The combination of a plant
shut-down and.che loss of ourr<caged fishes necessitates that we
obtain native fish immediately if we are to learn anything about
acetyl-cholinesterase levels. We hope to collect some deetd fish
for mercury analyses at the same time.
'
I am enclosing a summary of some recent findings which may he
of interest do you,
.
DEF:wb
DSW 162377
STLCOPCB4040952
Progress Report (February 8 - March l)
Between February lS and 2k, l4 bluegills from our State College population were kept in A ppb parathion in an aquarium. The insecticide solution was changed daily. Fourteen bluegills were kept in tap water and served as controls. 3y February 25, 6 of the treated fish were dead and all controls were alive.
On February 26, cholinesterase activities were determined for the 8 surviving treated fish and for 10 control fish. At the same time, AChE . activity was measured in 8 bluegills that had been caged in Choccolocco Creek (4 mi. E. Boiling Spring) upstream from Anniston. These fish had ' bean caged in the creek since November 20, 1966. (All caged bluegills at sites downstream from Anniston were dead.) The results of these ARhE determinations are given in Table 1.
Table 1.
'\
Sample
Brain Optical Weight'* Density
xM AChE Hydrolyzed Specific Average Percent
20' 60' Activity**
Inhibition
Tapwater
53-2 mg
Control
Tapwater
81.8 mg
Control
Tapwater
90.5 mg
Control '
Tapwater Control
55.9 mg
Tap-rater
98.4 mg
Control
Parathicn
87.1 mg
Treated
Parathion .. <Jnig
Treated
Parathion ` IO3.6 mg
Treated
Parathion 116.6 mg
Treated
Caged in
115.1 mg
C. Creek
Caged in
96.1 mg
C. Creek
Caged in
1C6.4 mg.
C. Creek
Caged in
97-3 mg
C. Creek
.215
.179 .218
. .171 .188 .011 .003 . .003
.035 .189 .178
.155 .144
2.11 1.76 2.16 1.69 1.85 0.12 o.o4 0.04 0.36 2.05 1.75 1.53 1.43
6.33 5.28 6.48
5.07 5.55 . 0.36 0.12 0.12 1.08
6.15 5.25
4.59 4.29
1.8l 1.51 1.85 1.45 1.58 0.10 0.03 0.03 0.31 1.76 1.50 1.31 1.23
1.64
.12
. 1.45
* mack value is based on a pooled sample of two ' rains. Specific Activity = /tA AChE kydrolyzed/nour/mg brain tissue.
DSW 162378
STLCOPCB4040953
Progress Report Page 4
location
. Sample
Choccciocco Creek. - Flat bridge (upstream from mouth of Coldwater Creek)
Water
Results
DDT Trace
DDE Trace
Heptachlor Epoxide
7 unknowns
.
Trace
* Less than 1 ppb is reported as a trace.
A biuegill caged at the flat bridge location and water from, the
front ditch were collected on February 11. At least 14 major peaks
appear in the front ditch water sample and ten peaks having similar
retention times appear in the caged bluegills. Several of the peaks
have retention times very similar to pesticides. The retention times
for the major peaks in these samples are compared with those of several
pesticides in Table 4.
.
r'aole 4.
Retention Times (in Minutes and Seconds), for Peaks in:
'eek (Front Ditch)
Caged Biuegill
Pesticide Standards
1* 3:00
2. 3:55
31. -
4:25 5:05
P 6:25
6. 7:25
7- 7:50
8. 9:25
9- 11:10 10. l4;00
11. 16:50
12. i$:40
13- 21:25 . 14. ri
(Elution A)*
1. 5:00
2. 6:15 3. 7:15 4. 7:40 5. 9:20 6. 11:00 7. 13:45 8. 16:30 9- 19:25
10. 22:55
5:08 = Methyl Parathion 6:20 = Malathion 7:10 = Parathion
9:15 = Heptachlor Epoxide
13:30 = DDE 17:10 = DDD
22:15 - DDT
*. Elution A contains most chlorinated hydrocarbonsj phosphates generally come out in Elution B.
DSW 162381
STLCOPCB4040954
Progress Report ?oge 5
All retention times are based on the zenith of peak height and
estimates of time are subject to an error of about _+ 5 seconds. It
is apparent that these unknown peaks will mask or interfere with
peaks of pesticides having similar retention times. In many cases,
fortification of the sample with pesticide standards and decreasing
the rate of carrier gas flow failed to separate pesticide peaks from
thes e 'unknowns.
We are certain that several of the peaks noted in the caged fish originate'in Snow Creek. In addition to similar retention times, peak width, shoulders, and other characteristics are often similar.
Peak #3 in the bluegill resembles paxathion but appears in the first clean-up elution from the column. Parathion should be in the
.3 WSrbU
We include the above information to indicate the difficulty that is encountered in attempting to identify pesticides in samples with C-1C. I discussed it at our February 2k conference.
Fish samples were extracted with acetonitrile and water samples
were extracted by the chloroform procedure. Both methods are standard
procedures recommended in the JES Guide to the Analysis of Pesticide
Residues. A Parb.-r-C:-l on 5360 Pesticide Analyzer and a 10$ Dow-200
. on 60/80 Anskrcn --1. column was used.
y
t'i uk
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DSW 162382
STLCOPCB4040955