Epichlorohydrin-crosslinked beta-cyclodextrin polymers (BCDPs) were prepared and characterized by Fourier transform infrared. Beads of the BCDPs were used to pack a column for trapping organic contaminants in flowing water (flow rate = 5-32 mL/min). The contaminants were naphthalene (a model for polyaromatic hydrocarbons), naproxen (a model for pollutants of pharmaceutical origin), and 2-naphthol (a model for pesticides with pH-dependent ionization states). The trapping efficiencies were determined with fluorescence spectroscopy as the analytical technique. The best trapping efficiencies were obtained for BCDPs with a nominal cyclodextin/epichlorohydrin ratio of 1:29. Trapping was highly efficient for naphthalene (98%) and 2-naphthol (70%), but it was much less efficient for naproxen (18%). Possible causes for these differences were examined. The trapped organics could be flushed from the column with an ethanol wash. The recovery of the organics with this approach was very good (>95%). This simple column design, made of inexpensive and reusable materials, has potential applications in water remediation and water sampling. (C) 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.