Contribution to the study of drinking water, danube water and biocenose contamination with chlorinated insecticides

The present paper deals with the methods of determination of BHC isomers, of DDE, DDT and HCB in waters, drinking and surface waters from the Danube; in two sorts of fish living in the Danube: herbivorous (Cyprinus carpio L., Abramis ballerus L., and Chondrostoma nasus L.) and carnivorous (Esox lucius L., Lepomis gibbosus L., Aspius asptus L. and Perca fluviatilis L.); in sediment and water plants using GLC and TLC.In the period 1971–1974, the mean concentrations of the compounds studied were: in drinking water from 0.00 to 0.12 μg/1; in the waters from the Danube from 0.006 to 0.197 μg/1; in predominantly herbivorous fish from 0.00 to 2.58 mg/kg; in sediment from 0.01 to 2.11 mg/kg; and in water plants from 0.002 to 0.032 mg/kg.The mean levels of the studied compounds found in the fish were 1000–10,000 times higher than those of the water. Comparing the average contents of the BHC isomers as well as of DDT and DDE in fish, considerably higher concentrations of DDT and DDE were found as compared with the BHC levels, mainly in carnivorous fish. Differences in the contents of the insecticides studied are due to their different cumulative properties.