1,2-Dibromo-3-chloropropane residues in water in South Carolina, 1979-80.

During 1979-80, a total of 236 water samples were collected from 205 sites in South Carolina. Well water, surface water (lakes, ponds, and rivers), and municipal water were sampled and analyzed for the soil fumigant 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP). DBCP levels ranged from non-detectable to 0.05 microgram/liter (ppb) in an area of nonuse (background). No municipal water samples in the state exceeded the background level. In the area of high use of DBCP, 37% of the surface water samples exceeded the background level, but none exceeded 0.4 microgram/liter. Twenty-seven percent of the well water samples from the high-use area exceeding the background level, and 10.2% of the samples exceeded 1 microgram/liter. All samples exceeding 1 microgram/liter came from a small area within one county. The possible mode of contamination was not determined.