Concentrations and distribution of some polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in an ombrotrophic peat bog profile of Switzerland

Abstract

An efficient method was developed for the analysis of selected PCBs and PAHs in dry peat samples. The method includes a shaking extraction using acetone and hexane followed by the purification of the crude extract by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) which turned out to be the key clean-up step. The method was used to determine seven indicator PCBs and 16 EPA-PAHs in individual sections of an ombrotrophic peat core in south-west Switzerland. The maximum concentrations of PCBs (19 μg ∑ PCBs/kg dm) were found at a peat depth of 10–15 cm which is estimated to correspond to a time period of 1976–1960 whereas the PAH profile showed a maximum (2853 μg ∑ PAHs/kg dm) at a depth of 20–25 cm which represents circa 1951–1930. Compared to these maxima, the concentrations of PAHs in the top layer (1990–1986) are six times lower, but the decline in PCBs is only 38%. The concentration profiles are generally consistent with known changes in contaminant emissions, and suggest that more detailed studies of ombrogenic peat bog profiles could be used for detailed reconstructions of the changing atmospheric fluxes of these and other organic contaminants.