Dissipation of phloxine B and uranine in sediment and water at a Kauai spill site

The dissipation and fate of phloxine B and uranine were investigated at a spill site in Hawaii. The compounds have been used to control Mediterranean fruit flies in coffee fields. Water and sediment samples were collected at the site 12, 26, 82, 123, and 284 d after the spill. Results showed that the concentrations of both compounds decreased over time, degrading quite rapidly in the water samples. Phloxine B, however, was markedly more persistent in the sediment samples than uranine. The distribution coefficients of phloxine B and uranine in sediment and in Lihue silty clay were determined to be 145.14 and 188.55, and 69.43 and 88.81, respectively.