Water Quality for Hexachlorethane

Abstract

The available data regarding the environmental fate, aquatic toxicity, and mammalian toxicity of hexachloroethane, which is used in military screening smokes, were reviewed. the USEPA guidelines were used to generate water quality criteria for the protection of aquatic life and its uses and of human health. Hexachloroethane is thermodynamically stable when released into the atmosphere, with the main sinks being the stratosphere and the oceans. Hexachloroethane does not persist in surface water and groundwater; however, the residence time in groundwater (330 days) is substantially longer than in surface water. Hexachloroethane is slightly more toxic to freshwater fishes than to freshwater invertebrates. In general, saltwater species appear to be more sensitive to hexachloroethane than freshwater species. Hexachloroethane is not mutagenic in bacteria or in yeast, but it is carcinogenic in B6C3F1 mice. Keywords: Aquatic toxicity, Environmental effects, Environmental fate, Health effects, Hexachloroethane, Mammalian toxicity, Pyrotechniques, Water quality criteria.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 1988
Accession Number
ADA196793

Entities

People

  • Kowetha A. Davidson
  • Patricia S. Hovatter
  • Robert H. Ross

Organizations

  • Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Cells
  • Chemical Synthesis
  • Chemistry
  • Environmental Protection
  • Fish
  • Health Services
  • Medical Personnel
  • Organic Chemistry
  • Wildlife

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Agricultural Chemistry/Soil Science
  • Atmospheric Science/Meteorology
  • Environmental Engineering

Technology Areas

  • Space