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• A GC × GC-ECNI-HRTOFMS method was developed for identifying and quantifying C 9 -CPs. • Levels and profiles of C 9 -CPs were studied in various environmental matrices. • Production and use of industrial CP products are sources of C 9 -CPs in environment. • QSPR modeling results revealed C 9 -CPs are semivolatile and could bioaccumulate. Short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs), with 10–13 carbon atoms, are persistent organic pollutants under the Stockholm Convention because they are persistent, toxic, and bioaccumulative. However, little information is available on CPs with <10 carbon atoms. C 9 -CPs were identified and quantified in environmental matrices in this study. The occurrences and sources of C 9 -CPs in environmental samples were investigated by determining C 9 -CPs in technical CP products and environmental matrices, including indoor air and sediment, by GC×GC‒ECNI‒TOFMS. Quantitative structure-property relationship modeling revealed C 9 -CPs have high octanol-water partition coefficients (log Kow 5.99), octanol-air partition coefficients (log Koa 7.24), and bioaccumulation factors (log BAF 4.07), indicating C 9 -CPs are semivolatile and could bioaccumulate. C 9 -CPs were detected in different fish (at 3.4–153 ng/g dw), confirming they can bioaccumulate. C 9 -CPs were found in soil (at 3.0–25.6 ng/g dw) and biota (at 7.5–57.8 ng/g dw) from the Antarctic, demonstrating they can undergo long-range transport and are global pollutants. This is the first comprehensive study reporting the sources, occurrences, and fates of C 9 -CPs in the environment, laying foundations for further evaluation of C 9 -CPs and their inclusion as candidate persistent organic pollutants under the Stockholm Convention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]