Abstract
Objective: This study was carried out in order to estimate atmospheric Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) concentrations using pine needles as a passive air sampler (PAS) in urban, semi-rural and rural regions. Methods: One-year old pine needles were collected to analyze their PCBs concentrations (Cp, pg/g dry) at the end of December. PCBs concentrations in ambient air (Ca, pg/m 3 ) were calculated with the logKoa-log(Cp/Ca) model. Results: PCBs concentrations in ambient air (Ca) were high in the order of urban, semi-rural and rural regions. The lower-chlorinated PCBs showed a higher concentration in ambient air. However, the distribution of PCBs congeners was similar in all three regions. Correlation between Ca and the population density of the three regions was significant (R 2 =0.9834, p<0.001). Conclusions: It was concluded that although the production and use of PCBs was banned in the1970s, PCBs are currently being produced unintentionally by human activities.
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