API PUBL 4774-2008

$39.00

The Environmental Behavior of Ethylene Dibromide and 1.2-Dichloroethane in Surface Water, Soil, and Groundwater

Published By	Publication Date	Number of Pages
API	2008	144

Guaranteed Safe Checkout

Category: API

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to our online customer service team by clicking on the bottom right corner. We’re here to assist you 24/7.
Email:[email protected]

Description

The following document reviews the available environmental fate literature for two compounds, ethylene dibromide (EDB) and 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA). While these particular names suggest that these two compounds have different structures, EDB and 1,2-DCA are structurally similar (Table 1). Neither compound contains a double bond despite the common names of ethylene dibromide and ethylene dichloride. The two structures differ only with the presence of either bromine or chlorine substituents.

EDB was previously used as a soil fumigant and as a leaded gasoline additive while 1,2-DCA is currently produced in large quantities as a commercial chemical (nearly 8.2 billion kilograms in the mid-1990s) with most of this, >96%, used as a chemical intermediate. 1,2-DCA was also used as a leaded gasoline additive. The current widespread presence of 1,2-DCA in air, surface water, and groundwater samples can be attributed mainly to its high production volume. EDB is not typically found in recent air or surface water samples since its use as a soil fumigant and leaded gasoline additive are no longer permitted by the U.S. EPA. However, it has been reported in groundwater and soil samples affected by historical uses.

The following sections provide a review of environmental fate data for both compounds as well as monitoring data from sites where direct release occurred and from larger monitoring studies where concentrations cannot be attributed to a single release. Section II briefly describes the literature search process. Section III contains all available environmental information for EDB while Section IV contains the available information for 1,2-DCA. Within Sections III and IV, transport processes are considered initially, followed by abiotic and biotic transformation processes, and then monitoring data. While EDB and 1,2-DCA are considered separately, the environmental processes relevant for each compound are expected to be similar. For example, the physical trapping of pure EDB by soil samples was well studied because of its use as a soil fumigant. Similar studies were not conducted for 1,2-DCA; however, based on the mechanism reported for EDB and the structural similarity of the two compounds, it is likely to be important for 1,2-DCA as well. In such cases, the reader is referred back to the relevant section of the report where the original data are reported.

Additional information