Abstract
Leachates from 27 landfills (e.g. planned disposal area) across southern Canada and 11 dump sites (e.g. unorganized disposal area) in the Canadian North were collected (2006) and analysed (2006-2008) for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). There was wide variability in the results, both in terms of the total PBDE concentrations and in the distribution of congeners. Northern sites tended to have lower concentrations than southern ones, but some northern levels were significant, despite the low population density and lack of industry in the north. The North could potentially act as a sink for PBDE contaminants because many organic compounds get deposited via air or water currents in the North even though they were not manufactured there.
Highlights
Given the health risks of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and their widespread appearance, including “alarming” levels in marine mammals (Ikonomou et al 2002b) and in Canada’s far northern communities (Ikonomou et al 2002a), mass balances are needed to indicate the sources, transfer and accumulation of the various congeners in air, water and soil (Macleod et al 2010)
Most data indicate a correlation between Total Organic Carbon (TOC) and PBDE concentration
Except for two locations, BDE-209 is the congener that contributes most to the total PBDE concentration
Summary
Given the health risks of PBDEs and their widespread appearance, including “alarming” levels in marine mammals (Ikonomou et al 2002b) and in Canada’s far northern communities (Ikonomou et al 2002a), mass balances are needed to indicate the sources, transfer and accumulation of the various congeners in air, water and soil (Macleod et al 2010). The study is intended to assist in filling gaps in mass balance models and in determining the fate and assessing the risk of disposal on land and in landfills This builds on the results reported in Li et al (2012). The long term objectives of northern sampling were to investigate how PBDEs are entering and being transferred among landfill (dumpsite) leachates and soils in the Canadian North and in other parts of Canada. A second long term objective was to provide data from locations well removed from population and industries Another aim was to provide better understanding of the leachability of PBDEs from e-wastes (Ma et al 2012) and other PBDE-containing products, and the mobility of PBDEs in soils. 2014, Vol 3, No 1 material at the urban landfill was segregated into different parcels, one for each half-decade (5-year) interval, facilitating comparison of leachates from wastes added in different time periods (Danon-Schaffer, et al 2013a, 2013b)
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