Short chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) are mixtures of chlorinated n-alkanes with 10-13 carbon atoms, and which commonly exist in the environment. They have been listed as Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) by the Stockholm Convention. Plants play an important role in the global cycling of POPs. However, information on the fate of SCCPs in whole plants is still limited. SCCP individual congeners, 1,2,5,5,6,9,10-heptachlorodecane, 1,2,5,6,9,10-hexchlorodecane, 1,1,1,3,8,10,10,10-octachlorodecane, 1,1,1,3,10,11-hexachloroundecane and 1,1,1,3,12,13-hexachlorotridecane were hydroponically exposed to intact pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima × C. moschata) and soybean (Glycine max L. Merrill) seedlings to explore the behaviors of SCCPs in plants. Uptake, translocation and phytovolatilization of SCCPs were observed in the seedlings. Results show that SCCPs can be metabolized by dechlorination, chlorine rearrangement and by carbon chain fracturing in seedlings. The fate of SCCPs in these plants were influenced by the carbon chain length, the degree of chlorination, and by the plant species. The capability of pumpkin to metabolize parent SCCPs was lower than that of soybean, whereas the capability of pumpkin to accumulate and translocate SCCPs was greater than that of soybean. The translocation of SCCPs within pumpkin and soybean seedlings increased with decreasing carbon chain length and degree of chlorination. In contrast, bioaccumulation in pumpkin and soybean increased with increasing carbon chain length and degree of chlorination of the SCCPs. To our knowledge, this is the first report of carbon chain fracturing of SCCPs in whole plants. The results of this study provide new insights into potential biodegradation and fate pathways of SCCPs in the environment.

Degradation of short chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) mediated by intact pumpkin and soybean seedlings

255th National Meeting (2018)

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