Excretion and storage of [14C]toxaphene and two isolated [14C]toxaphene fractions.

The 7-d urinary and fecal excretions of [14C]toxaphene and two isolated [14C]toxaphene fractions (polar fraction 7 and nonpolar fraction 2) were determined in orally dosed rats. The urinary, fecal, and total excretions of toxaphene were, respectively, 22.5, 35.7, and 58.2% of the administered dose. The total excretions of fractions 2 and 7 were, respectively, 69.4 and 65.0%, and the overall order of excretion was fraction 2 greater than toxaphene greater than fraction 7. All three groups had low toxaphene levels (below 0.2 ppm) in all tissues analyzed except for fat, where significant levels were detected. Hexane and chloroform extracts of the urine revealed that the activity was more polar than the parent material for all three groups. Apparently, toxaphene must be metabolized before it can be excreted in the urine. When fat extracts were analyzed by thin-layer chromatography and autoradiography, differences were found between the parent material and the extracted activity. There was an increase in polar activity in the residue obtained from toxaphene-treated rats. The fat from the fraction 2 group contained fraction 2 and two additional more polar spots, which represented about 11% of the total activity. The fat from the fraction 7 group also contained two additional spots, but they were less polar than fraction 7. Apparently, the metabolism of fraction 7 results in some products that are less polar and, perhaps, more persistent.