ABSTRACT
The dimethylamine salt of (2,4-dichloro-phenoxy)acetic acid (2,4-D DMA) and the butoxyethanol ester of (2,4-dichlorophenoxy)acetic acid (2,4-D BEE) have been used extensively for the control of aquatic vegetation. Distribution and effects of the herbicide on these aquatic ecosystems were studied by Smith and Isom. Residue studies of the butoxyethanol ester of 2,4-D by Rodgers and Stalling included the rate of hydrolysis of 2,4-D BEE in water, its uptake and elimination by fishes, and its distribution in organs of rainbow trout, channel catfish, and bluegills. Extracts of tissues from bluegills and channel catfish exposed for 2 hr to C-2,4-D BEE were examined by thin-layer chromatography (TLC). Only the liver extracts contained sufficient 2,4-D BEE to be detected. Radioactive residues of the 2,4-D was determined by radiometric procedures in eight or more tissues and organs. Residues of 2,4-D was determined in muscle and whole body extracts by gas chromatography.
