Metabolism of cis- [14C]chlordane and cis-[14C]photochlordane in bluegill fish

Abstract

Bluegill fish rapidly absorbed cts-[14C] chlordane or cis-[ 14C]photochlordane during a 48-h exposure to 5 parts per billion of each insecticide. Elimination of chlordane was linear but slow during the 6-week period, while that of photochlordane was biphasic, being rapid in the early phase (first 3 weeks). Less than 7 % of the radioactivity retained in the chlordane-treated fish was in the form of two conjugates which on acid hydrolysis yielded at least eight hydroxylated products. In the case of photochlordane, 16% of the radioactivity in fish was in the form of nine apolar and five polar metabolites. Twenty-five percent of the radioactivity excreted in water by photochlordane-treated fish was in the form of two metabolites, the remaining being unchanged photochlordane.Contamination of aquatic environments with chlorinated cyclodiene insecticides (Brooks, 1974;Matsumura, 1975;