Reductive Dechlorination of Polychlorinated Biphenyls as Affected by Natural Halogenated Aromatic Compounds

We investigated the effects of halogenated aromatic compounds (HACs) including naturally occurring ones (L-thyroxine, 3-chloro-L-tyrosine, 5-chloroindole, 2-chlorophenol, 4-chlorophenol and chlorobenzene) on polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) dechlorination in sediment cultures. A PCB-dechlorinating enrichment culture of sediment microorganisms from the St. Lawrence River was used as an initial inoculum. When the culture was inoculated into Aroclor 1248 sediments amended with each of the six HACs, the extent of dechlorination was not enhanced by amendment with HACs.