Organic Chemicals in the Aquatic Environment

Distribution, Persistence, and Toxicity

Organic Chemicals in the Aquatic Environment draws from the author's experience with a variety of problems dealing with the fate, distribution, and toxicity of organic compounds in the aquatic environment. It discusses the basic issues of chemical analysis, distribution, persistence, and ecotoxicology, with an emphasis on microbial reactions. The necessary input and the difficulties of achieving a rigorous synthesis of the various elements are illustrated with specific examples. The book includes a wide range of structurally diverse compounds as illustration and presents a mechanistic approach to biodegradation and biotransformation. The final chapter addresses the issue of environmental hazard assessment and constructs a strategy for carrying it out.