Assessing persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the Sicily Island atmosphere, Mediterranean, using PUF disk passive air samplers

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Authors

POZO Karla Andrea PALMERI Margherita PALMERI Valeria ESTELLANO Victor H. MULDER Marie Daniëlle EFSTATHIOU Christos SARA Gian Luca ROMEO Teresa LAMMEL Gerhard FOCARDI Silvano

Year of publication 2016
Type Article in Periodical
Magazine / Source Environmental Science and Pollution Research
MU Faculty or unit

Faculty of Science

Citation
Web http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11356-016-7131-1
Doi http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-7131-1
Field Environment influence on health
Keywords POPs; Passive samplers; PUF disks; The Island of Sicily; Air back trajectories; Mediterranean
Description In this study, PUF disk passive air samplers were deployed at eight sites, during two sampling periods, on the Island of Sicily in the Mediterranean basin. Samples were screened for a number of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) (n = 28 congeners), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) (n = 16 compounds), and polybrominated biphenyl ethers (PBDEs n = 28) using GC-MS. PCB concentrations in air ranged similar to 10-300 pg m(-3). The PCB pattern was dominated by lower to middle molecular weight PCBs (Cl3-5) and PCB-28 and PCB-52 were the most abundant congeners. alpha- and gamma-Hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) concentrations in air were relatively high similar to 420 +/- 320 (50-1000) and 460 +/- 340 (30-1000) pg m(-3), respectively, with an average alpha/gamma ratio of 1 +/- 0.5, indicating a tendency of higher use of lindane than of technical HCH. Among DDTs, only p,p'-DDT 90 +/- 15 (similar to 10-800) and p,p'-DDE 60 +/- 60 (20-400) were frequently detected. DDT/DDE = 0.4-3.0 (1.0 +/- 0.7 for both periods) suggesting past and fresh inputs of DDT at the sampling sites. alpha-Endosulfan, recently included in Annex A of the Stockholm Convention, fluctuated between 120 +/- 50 (50-1000) pg m(-3). In contrast, PBDE levels were very low (0.2-2 pg m(-3)). Back trajectories of advection suggest that POP levels are mainly related to local sources (primary or secondary) from Sicily (50-70 % contribution of air masses), Southern Italy, and Sardinia (20 %). This study provides new information for POP levels in the atmosphere of the Mediterranean region.
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