ABSTRACT
Among the most persistent, ubiquitous, and toxic pollutants in estuarine and marine ecosystems are a number of hydrocarbon compounds containing chlorine, bromine, fluorine, or iodine. The halogenated hydrocarbons include an array of substances ranging from low-molecular-weight volatile compounds, which have become common components of the atmosphere and surface waters of the ocean, to higher-molecular-weight compounds, which are widely distributed in estuarine and coastal marine waters worldwide. Various low-molecular-weight, volatile hydrocarbons manufactured as aerosol propellants, coolants, dry cleaning fluids, and industrial solvents have received considerable attention as potentially damaging atmospheric chemicals. More ecotoxological attention has been given to the higher-molecular-weight chlorinated hydrocarbon compounds which are common contaminants in estuarine and marine environments. Chlorinated hydrocarbons, together with organophosphates, comprise the majority of all synthetic insecticides. One of the most well known and ubiquitous chlorinated hydrocarbon contaminants is dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT), which belongs to the chemical class of diphenyl aliphatics consisting of an aliphatic or straight carbon chain, with two (di)phenyl rings attached.
