In this study, nitrobenzene in water and ice samples collected from the Songhua River after the explosion of a petrochemical plant was determined by GC/MS. The results showed that nitrobenzene was detected in most of the water and ice samples taken from the Songhua River. However, the concentration of nitrobenzene in all water and ice samples was from 0 to 0.65 microg L(-1); this range was sufficiently lower than the permissible level (0.017 mg L(-1)) for drinking water in China. The enclosing behavior of nitrobenzene in ice was also investigated. The amount of nitrobenzene enclosed in ice was lower than that reported by UNEP.