Octachlorostyrene in Lake Ontario: sources and fates

The historical record preserved in eleven sediment cores taken from Ontario lake has been examined to propose a scenario for the introduction and fate of octachlorostyrene (OCS). It appears that the bulk of OCS has been introduced at the western end of the lake from chlorine plants (using graphite electrodes) along the banks of the Niagara river. The consent ratio increased with the growth of the chlorine industry from 1930 to 1970. The adoption of techniques for the elimination of the waste product 'taffy' resulted in a rapid decrease of OCS levels in the sediments. OCS becomes biomagnified through the food chain, through carp, aquatic birds and seals . It is hoped that the concentration of OCS in fish and their predators will now begin to decrease.