Abstract
From 2001 to 2014, 13 surveys were conducted in the Baltic Sea, to determine its pollution of 50 micropollutants. The investigations focused mostly on the German western Baltic Sea; in 2008, one survey covered the entire Baltic Sea. Various groups of herbicides (such as triazines, phenoxyacetic acid, phenylurea), perfluoroalkyl substances, pharmaceuticals, and industrial products were analyzed during these surveys. The highest concentrations (median 1 to 4 ng/L) were observed for atrazine, simazine, chloridazone, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, benzotriazole, primidone, and carbamazepine. Most micropollutants exhibited a relatively homogenous spatial distribution, though some herbicides show elevated concentrations in certain regions (e.g., Odra estuary), indicating a riverine input. The data set was analyzed, both for seasonal influences and long-time trends. Some herbicides exhibited higher concentrations during summertime. Both upward- and downward-directed time trends could be identified for some herbicides and perfluorinated compounds. For most of the detected compounds, a low-risk quotient was calculated. Only the occurrence of carbendazim could potentially pose a higher risk to the Baltic Sea.
Highlights
While long-lasting monitoring programs quite well-document information about the burden of the marine environment by classical non-polar pollutants such as chlorinated hydrocarbons (CHs) or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), the knowledge of the contamination by polar organic micropollutants is by far less described and evaluated (HELCOM 2010; Theobald 2011; Abraham et al 2017; HELCOM 2018; Lang et al 2018)
Whereas for the perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), the atmospheric deposition is of greater relevance, e.g., Baltic Proper 689 kg/year atmospheric deposition versus 386 kg/year estuarine export (Lindim et al 2016)
As some of the perfluorooctane sulfonic acids (PFOSs) are known for their toxicity, bioaccumulation, and persistence in the environment, they have been regulated by the European Union, and were added to the Annex B list of “persistent organic pollutants” by the Stockholm Convention in 2009 (European Commission 2005a, b, c, 2006, 2007; Convention 2009)
Summary
While long-lasting monitoring programs quite well-document information about the burden of the marine environment by classical non-polar pollutants such as chlorinated hydrocarbons (CHs) or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), the knowledge of the contamination by polar organic micropollutants is by far less described and evaluated (HELCOM 2010; Theobald 2011; Abraham et al 2017; HELCOM 2018; Lang et al 2018). Responsible Editor: Roland Peter Kallenborn (PFASs), pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), and industrial products are regarded as polar micropollutants (Hollender et al 2008; Loos et al 2009; Nödler et al 2014). Due to their polar character, most of them are water-soluble and can be detected in the aquatic phase and transported with the river water into the marine environment (Reemtsma and Jekel 2006; Loos et al 2009).
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