Input of trichloroacetic acid into the vegetation of various climate zones––measurements on several continents

Trichloroacetic acid (TCA, CCl3COOH) is a phytotoxic chemical. Although TCA salts and derivates were once used as herbicides to combat perennial grasses and weeds, they have since been banned because of their indiscriminate herbicidal effects on woody plant species. However, TCA can also be formed in the atmosphere. For instance, the high-volatile C2-chlorohydrocarbons tetrachloroethene (TECE, C2Cl4) and 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCE, CCl3CH3) can react under oxidative conditions in the atmosphere to form TCA and other substances. The ongoing industrialisation of Southeast Asia, South Africa and South America means that use of TECE as solvents in the metal and textile industries of these regions in the southern hemisphere can be expected to rise. The increasing emissions of this substance––together with the rise in the atmospheric oxidation potential caused by urban activities, slash and burn agriculture and forest fires in the southern hemisphere––could lead to a greater input/formation of TCA in the vegetation located in the lee of these emission sources. By means of biomonitoring studies, the input/formation of TCA in vegetation was detected at various locations in South America, North America, Africa, and Europe.