ABSTRACT On July 22, 1980, a major chemical spill occurred 40 miles southeast of New Orleans in the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO), a man-made deep draft channel connecting the Port of New Orleans with the Gulf of Mexico. The spill resulted from the collision of a containerized cargo vessel (M/V TESTBANK) with a bulk ore carrier (M/V SEA DANIEL). Large quantities of technical grade pentachlorophenol (PCP), hydrobromic acid, vinyl polymer, as well as other items of the containerized cargo were lost into the 35-ft deep channel. Ruptured drums released ethyl mercaptan into the atmosphere. An estimated 12 tons of toxic PCP were lost into the estuarine environment immediately adjacent to major shrimp fisheries and oyster beds. The Center for Bio-Organic Studies of the University of New Orleans assisted in the design and implementation of a multiphase analytical chemistry support program to complement the response efforts by federal and state agencies. The program was designed to assist in locating the bulk of spilled PCP and to monitor the distribution and movement throughout the environment of PCP and its major metabolites and production-related impurities. Latter stages of the program involved monitoring the effectiveness of cleanup activities and the short-term impact of the PCP on the environment. Over 300 water, sediment and biota samples were collected and analyzed. The exposure to PCP of response and cleanup workers was monitored by the analysis of approximately 200 blood and urine samples. Existing analytical methods were refined to meet the special requirements of the spill situation. In order to assist participating state and federal agencies, an interlaboratory calibration program was also established. The activities of our laboratory during this incident, and the importance of a broad but flexible analytical chemistry support program to complement the response organization's efforts during a toxic chemical spill are discussed.
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