Fate and effects of 3,4-dichloroaniline (DCA) in marine communities in experimental enclosures

The fate and effect of single doses of 3,4-dichloroaniline (DCA) on North Sea coastal plankton communities encloses by large plastic bags (contents 1.5 m3) were studied in two experiments lasting five and six weeks respectively. The biodegradation of DCA was studied in laboratory die-away experiments using the water from the enclosed ecosystems. DCA was not degraded in the enclosed plankton communities, although concentrations in the water decreased during the experiment, mainly due to absorption and diffusion of DCA through the walls of the bag. In the laboratory tests DCA was also not degraded.