Degradation of chlorfenvinphos in carrots during storage

In order to investigate the degradation products of chlorfenvinphos, organically grown carrots were treated with the pesticide. After storage at 5 °C for 3 months, the following compounds were detected by gas chromatography-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) analysis: 1-(2′,4′-dichlorophenyl)ethan-1-ol, 2,4-dichlorobenzoic acid, and 2,2-dichloro-1-(2′,4′-dichlorophenyl) vinyl alcohol. The metabolic fate of the pesticide was also investigated by use of 14C-ring-labelled chlorfenvinphos which was prepared using o-[14C]dichlorobenzene as a starting material. After a month of storage at room temperature, the following compounds were determined in carrots and in sand in which the carrots were buried after treatment with [14C]chlorfenvinphos: 2,2′,4′-trichloroacetophenone, 2,4-dichloroacetophenone and 2-chloro-1-(2′,4′-dichlorophenyl)vinyl alcohol. Separation of radioactive compounds was performed using high-performance liquid chromatography and a radioactivity flow detector. The identification of compounds was carried out by GC-MS.