Environmental Persistence and Toxicity of Fire-Retardant Chemicals, Fire-Trol(Tradename) GTS-R and Phos-Chek(Tradename) D75-R to Fathead Minnows

摘要

This study was conducted to provide information on the toxicity and environmental stability of the fire-fighting chemicals, Fire-Trol GTS-R and Phos-Chek D75-R to fish. GTS-R and D75- R were environmentally weathered for up to 45 days at mixed retardant concentrations recommended for application from aircraft and ground tankers. The retardants were environmentally weathered for 7, 14, 21 and 45 days on substrates including nonporous polypropylene surfaces, gravel, sand, forest soils of low organic (LO soil, 1.4 percent) and high organic (HO soil, 3.7 percent) matter content. We also tested highly diluted aqueous concentrations that might occur when mixed retardants are flushed into wetlands and ponds by rainwater. These dilute concentrations approximated concentrations that are lethal to 50 percent of exposed fish (LC50 concentration). GTS-R, GTS-R without the corrosion inhibitor YPS (yellow prussiate of soda or sodium ferrocyanide), and YPS alone were tested to determine the importance of the YPS on the persistence of environmental hazard posed by GTS-R. In addition we tested D75-R, a fire-retardant that does not contain YPS. In support of these field studies, laboratory tests were conducted to confirm the toxicity of these chemicals under different irradiance conditions.