Levels of persistent organic pollutants in pine tree components and ambient air

Pine tree (Pinus pinea) components have been used as passive air samples for determining atmospheric polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations. Our results indicated that pine needles and branches were found to be statistically successful in describing the ambient air. Monthly pine needles, branches (1- and 2-year-old) and ambient air samples were collected for 1 year to identify molecular distributions and temporal concentrations of PAHs in a suburban-industrial area. Annual average Σ14PAH concentrations for pine needles, 1- and 2-year-old branches, and ambient air were 756 ± 232ng/g DW, 685 ± 350ng/g DW, 587 ± 361ng/g DW, and 28.29 ± 32.33ng/m3, respectively. The order of average Σ14PAH concentrations in the pine tree components was determined as needle > 1-year-old branch > 2-year-old branch. In general, concentrations increased with the rise in the surface area of tree components. In the samples, 3- and 4-ring PAHs were dominant compounds in the ambient air, pine needles, and branches. The annual total fraction of 3- and 4-ring PAHs in the air was 98.5%, while the fraction of 5- and 6-ring PAHs was 1.5%. On the other hand, 3- and 4-ring PAHs in pine needles and branches were 30% or more. The fraction and level of PAHs change with the season. Although needle samples did not show any seasonal trend, PAH levels in other tree components changed with the air temperature. Generally, lower values were observed in warmer seasons in the branch samples. Similarly, ambient air PAH concentrations were higher in the winter season due to heating and adverse meteorological conditions.

The Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) is at risk of extinction throughout its range as a result of incidental catches, habitat degradation, and pollution. Populations of Irrawaddy dolphins are constrained by the species' narrow habitat requirement-lagoons, estuaries, rivers, and lakes-and are therefore particularly vulnerable to the effects of human activities. In this study, for the first time, concentrations of organochlorine (OC) pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were determined in tissues of Irrawaddy dolphins collected from Chilika Lake, India, to understand the status of contamination. Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and its metabolites (DDTs) were the predominant contaminants found in Irrawaddy dolphins; the highest concentration found was 10,000 ng/g lipid weight in blubber. Hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) were the second most prevalent contaminants in dolphin tissues. Concentrations of PCBs, chlordanes, hexachlorobenzene, tris(4-chlorophenyl)methane, and tris(4-chlorophenyl)methanol were in the ranges of few ng/g to few hundreds of ng/g on a lipid-weight basis. In general, concentrations of OC pesticides and PCBs in Irrawaddy dolphins were lower than the concentrations reported for coastal and riverine dolphins collected in Asia. PBDEs were detected in the blubber of Irrawaddy dolphins at concentrations ranging from 0.98 to 18 ng/g lipid weight. BDE congener 47 accounted for 60% to 75% of the total PBDE concentrations. Although these results establish the baseline levels of persistent organic pollutants in Irrawaddy dolphins, efforts should be made to decrease the sources of contamination by DDTs and HCHs in Chilika Lake.

Use of passive samplers in pollution monitoring: A numerical approach for marinas

This study involves the monitoring of organic pollutants using transplanted mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) as bioindicator organisms and semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) as passive samplers. Mussels and SPMDs were deployed to marinas, shipyards and shipbreaking yards on the coastal area of Turkey and retrieved after 60days. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and organochlorine pesticide (OCP) compounds were analysed with high-resolution GC-MS. Total PAH concentrations in SPMDs and mussels ranged from 200 to 4740ngg sampler-1 and from 7.0 to 1130ngg-1 in wet weight (ww). PCB and OCP concentrations in SPMDs changed between 0.04-200 and 4.0-26ngg sampler-1, respectively. The highest PCB (190ngg-1ww) and OCP (200ngg-1 ww) concentrations in mussels were measured at shipyard stations. A strong correlation was observed between the PAH and PCB concentrations in SPMDs and mussels. Enzyme assays (acetylcholinesterase, ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase, glutathione S-transferase, glutathion reductase and carboxylesterase activities) were performed as biomarkers to reveal the effects of pollution on the mussels. There was no clear relationship found between the enzyme levels and the pollutant concentrations in mussels. Integrated biomarker responses were calculated to interpret the overall effect of pollutants.

Levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in 17 topsoil samples collected in and around the city of Harbin, an industrial center in Northeast China for decades, are presented. Total concentrations (ng/g dry weight [dw]) ranged from 17 to 3,260 (mean: 508) for PAHs and 0.30 to 6.17 (mean: 1.63) for PCBs. As expected, large differences of the concentration levels of PAHs and PCBs in topsoil were found among the samples from urban, suburban, and background/rural sites. Total PCB and PAH concentrations were higher in industrialized areas than those at the other sites, with a ratio of up to one order of magnitude, possibly indicating the urban source of these chemicals. The PAH profiles were similar among samples, with high percentages of high molecular weight (HMW) PAHs and domination of four-ring PAHs. Compositions of PCB homologues showed that tri-CBs and tetra-CBs were abundant in all soil samples. There was also a higher abundance of low molecular weight (LMW) PCBs and lower abundance of HMW PCBs at background sites than other areas, indicating the urban fractionation phenomenon. Pyrogenic origins were the dominant PAH sources in surface soil at most urban sites, whereas petrogenic origins were the major PAH sources in surface soil at all the rural and background sites. The TEQ concentrations (pg/g dw) of all four dioxin-like PCBs (CBs 77, 81, 105, and 118) were 0.009 for humans and mammals, 0.005 for fish, and 1.42 for birds. Strong correlations were found between PAH and PCB concentrations and soil organic matter and, also, between PAH and PCB concentrations.

Persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals can cause diseases in women, however, the relationships of these pollutants and uterine leiomyomas (UL), which are non-cancerous tumors of the uterus, are unclear. This study focused on the quantification of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and heavy metals in subcutaneous and visceral fat obtained from patients with UL and in subcutaneous fat of a control group of women without UL to determine if there were any correlations between concentrations of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and heavy metals and the incidence of UL. Samples were collected from ethnic Chinese residents from six hospitals and six cosmetic surgery clinics in Hong Kong. Patients with UL provided both subcutaneous and visceral fat, while women without UL (control group) provided subcutaneous fat through liposuction. Analyses of POPs and heavy metals were conducted using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry, respectively. Total mercury (Hg) content was measured using an atomic fluorescence spectrometer. Significantly higher (p < 0.01 or 0.05) concentrations of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDTs), hexachlorocyclohexane (HCHs), PCBs, PAHs, PBDEs, arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and Hg were detected in the subcutaneous fat of patients when compared with those of the control group. Significant correlations were found between pollutant concentrations of subcutaneous and visceral fat in the patient group, with visceral fat containing significantly higher (p < 0.01 or 0.05) concentrations of As (subcutaneous fat: 0.59 μg/kg fat; visceral fat: 0.73), Cd (0.38; 0.47), Pb (5.24; 5.98), and Hg (9.12; 13.3). Since UL has a close relationship with estrogen levels in women, and OCPs, PCBs, PAHs, and PBDEs have an estrogen-like effect, these chemicals may correlate with UL. This study showed higher levels of DDT and its metabolites, HCHs, fluoranthene, pyrene, benzo(a)pyrene, PCBs, and BDE-99 in patients with UL than those in the control group. Furthermore, higher concentrations of Cd, Pb, As, and Hg were found in the patient group than those in the control group suggesting that these chemicals may correlate with UL. Our studies demonstrated that these persistent organic pollutants and some heavy metals may have correlations with UL, and their accumulation in the body is positively correlated with seafood diet habit, body mass index, and age. In the patient group, higher levels of persistent organic pollutants and some heavy metals were found in visceral fat than in subcutaneous fat confirming the long-held belief that visceral fat is more pernicious and pathogenic than subcutaneous fat. It is recommended that women minimize their exposure to environmental pollutants as much as possible which includes consuming certain seafoods in moderation, such as fatty fish, carnivorous fish (tuna and swordfish), and shellfish which are known to concentrate POPs and heavy metals, respectively.

Determination of PAH, PCB, and OCP in water from the Three Gorges Reservoir accumulated by semipermeable membrane devices (SPMD)

Open dump disposal is the commonly used means of disposing Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) in Nigeria, just like in various other developing and underdeveloped countries. The environment (land, air, and water) has become contaminated due to this unwholesome practice of uncontrolled dumping of MSW. Notable among the contaminants are persistent organic pollutants (POPs). This study measured polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) concentrations of the Igbatoro and Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) dumpsites' ambient air within 30 days (October 2021). The air samples were collected following the standard operating procedures prescribed by the UNEP (2017) and evaluated using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The results obtained revealed that considerable levels of PAH and PCB are found at the dumpsites. The summation of the concentration levels of PAH $$\left(\sum \text{PAH}\right)$$ ∑ PAH for FUTA and Igbatoro dumpsites were 3.55 × 10-5 and 5.51 × 10-5 µ/m3 while $$\sum \text{PCBs}$$ ∑ PCBs are 1.00 and 0.99 $$\text{ng}/{\text{m}}^{3}$$ ng / m 3 . Cancer risk values of 1.10 × 10–5 and 1.23 × 10–5 obtained for FUTA and Igbatoro dumpsites respectively are within the acceptable limits of 1 × 10 −6 to 1 × 10 −4. The inhalation rate analysis values of 1.53 × 10–6 ng TEQ kg−1 day−1(1.53 fg TEQ/kg per day) and 3.38 × 10–6 ng TEQ kg−1 day−1 (3.38 fg TEQ/kg per day) obtained for adults and children respectively at these dumpsites are below the permissible threshold. Despite, being a short-term risk level assessment for the dumpsites, this study highlights the need for effective waste management strategies and the enforcement of environmental regulations to reduce the release of harmful pollutants into the atmosphere, ultimately safeguarding public health and the environment. However, a long-term assessment (annual) of the PAH compounds and PCB congeners within and around the selected dumpsites is recommended for an effective and reliable evaluation of the dumpsite risk, especially concerning ambient air.

The main objective of this study was to determine levels of certain persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in Neretva River, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), which is currently facing implementation of the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and environmental protection strategies. This is the very first report on the deployment of semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) in BiH. SPMDs were used for continuous 3-weeks sampling of POPs at three locations, covering 220 km long stream of the Neretva River. Water concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs) were calculated using performance reference compounds (PRCs). The total OCP concentrations ranged from 40 to 140 pg L−1 and most of compounds were detected only in lower course of the river. Total PAH ranged from 160 to 4000 pg L−1 and show a clear spatial variation. Dominant PAHs were phenanthrene, fluoranthene, fluorene and acenaphthene. Total PCB ranged from undetectable to 120 pg L−1. From the group of 15 PBDE congeners investigated, only PBDE-47 and PBDE-99 were detected. Since the concentrations of broad spectrum of POPs found in the Neretva River are quite low, future actions should be focused on preservation rather than on sanitation measures. Regular monitoring should anyhow be established.

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are Persistent Organic Pollutants that can accumulate in soil and pose ecological risks. This study investigated the ecological risks associated with PAHs and PCBs in soil around selected industrial sites in Rivers State. Soil samples were collected from one non-industrial and four industrial sites and analyzed for PAHs and PCBs using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). The results showed that the soil samples from non-industrial site (control) had PAH and PCB concentrations below detection limit (&lt;0.01mg/kg). PAH and PCB concentrations in industrial sites ranged from 0.41±0.04mg/kg to 32.27±0.15mg/kg and 1.09±0.03mg/kg to 5.55±0.01mg/kg respectively. PAH Risk Quotient for the Petrochemical company and Electronics market gave values &gt;1 indicative of potential ecological risks while Transformer oil storage site and Colour Academy gave Risk Quotient &lt;1 indicative of low risk. Petrochemical Company with Ecological Risk Index (ERI) of 192.08 showed high risk from PAH contamination while other sites revealed ERI values &lt;150 indicative of low risk. Similarly, Risk Quotient obtained from PCB concentrations in all industrial sites gave values &gt;1 indicative of significant risks. Ecological Risk Index revealed values &lt;150 all indicative of low risks from PCB contamination. The study revealed that Ecological Risk Assessment for PAH and PCB concentrations in all industrial sites have values that spanned from low to high risk ratings. PAH and PCB contamination in soil can bioaccumulate and not only affect the health of individual organisms but also have wider impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem dynamics. Thus, it is recommended that regular monitoring and remediation of contaminated soil sites should be carried out to reduce human health and ecological risk associated with unsafe PAH and PCB levels.

Maternal transfer of organochlorines and brominated flame retardants in blue tits ( Cyanistes caeruleus)

Associations of organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in visceral vs. subcutaneous adipose tissue with type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance

Persistent organic pollutants in atmospheric deposition and biomonitoring with Tillandsia usneoides (L.) in an industrialized area in Rio de Janeiro state, southeast Brazil – Part II: PCB and PAH

The aim of this study was to identify and examine the levels of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in soil collected from the surroundings of historical pesticide storage facilities on former agricultural aerodromes, warehouses, and pesticide distribution sites located in the most important agricultural regions in Azerbaijan. The conducted research included determination of three groups of POPs (occurring together), in the natural soil environment influenced for many years by abiotic and biotic factors that could have caused their transformations or decomposition. In this study, soil samples were collected in 21 georeferenced points located in the administrative area of Bilasuvar, Saatly, Sabirabad, Salyan and Jalilabad districts of Azerbaijan. Soil chemical analysis involved determination of organochlorine compounds (OCP): hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) (three isomers α-HCH, β-HCH and γ-HCH) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs) (six congeners 2,4′DDT; 4,4′DDT; 2,4′DDE; 4,4′DDE; 2,4′DDE; and 4,4′DDE); polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs): 16 compounds from the United States Environmental Protection Agency US EPA list and, PCBs (seven congeners identified with the following IUPAC numbers: 28, 52, 101, 118, 138, 153, and 180). Our research showed that OCPs reached the highest concentration in the studied areas. The total concentrations of OCPs ranged from 0.01 to 21,888 mg∙kg−1 with significantly higher concentrations of Σ6DDTs (0.01 μg kg−1 to 21880 mg kg−1) compared to ΣHCH (0.14 ng kg−1 to 166.72 µg kg−1). The total concentrations of PCBs in the studied soils was varied from 0.02 to 147.30 μg·kg−1 but only PCB138 and PCB180 were detected in all analyzed samples. The concentrations of Σ16 PAHs were also strongly diversified throughout the sampling areas and ranged from 0.15 to 16,026 mg kg−1. The obtained results confirmed that the agricultural soils of Azerbaijan contained much lower (up to by three orders of magnitude) concentrations of PCBs and PAHs than DDT. It is supported by the fact that PCBs and PAHs were not directly used by agriculture sector and their content results from secondary sources, such as combustion and various industrial processes. Moreover, the high concentrations of PAHs in studied soils were associated with their location in direct neighborhood of the airport, as well as with accumulation of contaminants from dispersed sources and long range transport. The high concentrations of pesticides confirm that deposition of parent OCPs have occurred from obsolete pesticide landfills.

Spatial trends of organochlorinated pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, and polybrominated diphenyl ethers in Atlantic Anguillid eels