Viscous, oily, light yellow to pale yellow-brown liquid or white powder with a weak,
characteristic odor
Insulator fluid for electric condensers; additive in high pressure lubricants. In fluorescent
and high-intensity discharge ballasts manufactured prior to 1979 (U.S. EPA, 1998).
At a concentration of 5 to 25 wt %, increased the effective kill-life of the lindane spray up to 10
times. May have been used in chlordane and BHC insecticide formulations (Monsanto, 1960).
Biological. Reported degradation products by the microorganism Alcaligenes BM-2 for a
mixture of polychlorinated biphenyls include monohydroxychlorobiphenyl, 2-hydroxy-6-
oxochlorophenylhexa-2,4-dieonic acid, chlorobenzoic acid, chlorobenzoylpropionic acid,
chlorophenylacetic acid, and 3-chlorophenyl-2-chloropropenic acid (Yagi and Sudo, 1980). When
PCB-1016 was statically incubated in the dark at 25 °C with yeast extract and settled domestic
wastewater inoculum, no significant biodegradation was observed. At a concentration of 5 mg/L,
percent losses after 7, 14, 21, and 28-d incubation periods were 44, 47, 46, and 48, respectively. At
a concentration of 10 mg/L, only 22, 46, 20, and 13% losses were observed after the 7, 14, 21, and
28-d incubation periods, respectively (Tabak et al., 1981).
Chemical/Physical. PCB-1016 will not hydrolyze to any reasonable extent (Kollig, 1993).
