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Organic contaminants associated with suspended sediment collected during five cruises of the Mississippi River and its principal tributaries, May 1988 to June 1990

January 1, 2004

Suspended-sediment samples were obtained from sites along the Mississippi River and its principal tributaries to determine the presence of halogenated hydrophobic organic compounds on the suspended sediment smaller than 63 micrometers. Sample collection involved pumping discharge-weighted volumes of river water along a cross section of the river into a continuous-flow centrifuge to isolate the suspended sediment. The suspended sediment was analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry for pentachlorobenzene, hexachlorobenzene, pentachloroanisole, chlorothalonil, pentachlorophenol, dachthal, chlordane, nonachlor, and penta-, hexa-, hepta-, and octachlorobiphenyls. Samples collected during June 1989 and February-March 1990 also were analyzed for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency priority pollutants, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, phthalate esters, and triazines. Samples were collected at sites on the Mississippi River from above St. Louis, Missouri to below New Orleans, Louisiana, and on the Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, Wabash, Cumberland, Tennessee, White, Arkansas, and Yazoo Rivers. Masses of selected halogenated hydrophobic organic compounds associated with the suspended sediment at each site are presented in this report in tabular format, along with suspended-sediment concentration, water discharge, and organic-carbon content.

Publication Year 2004
Title Organic contaminants associated with suspended sediment collected during five cruises of the Mississippi River and its principal tributaries, May 1988 to June 1990
DOI 10.3133/ofr93360
Authors Colleen E. Rostad, LaDonna M. Bishop, Geoffrey S. Ellis, Thomas J. Leiker, Stephanie G. Monsterleet, Wilfred E. Pereira
Publication Type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Series Title Open-File Report
Series Number 93-360
Index ID ofr93360
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse
USGS Organization Toxic Substances Hydrology Program