Survey of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the atmosphere of rural, urban and industrial areas of Concepción, Chile, using passive air samplers

Abstract

Passive air samplers (PAS) consisting of polyurethane foam (PUF) disks were used to assess air concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in rural, urban, and industrial sites in Concepción, Chile during a two-month deployment in the summer of 2007. Results for PCBs and PAHs showed a clear rural-urban-industrial gradient. PCB air concentrations (pg m−3) ranged from -30 to -350 and were ~2 to 5 times higher at industrial sites compared to rural sites. For PAHs, air concentrations (ng m−3) ranged from 26 to 230 and were 4 to 8 times higher at industrial sites. The PCB congener profile was dominated by high molecular weight PCBs at urban and industrial sites. The PAH profile was dominated by 3- and 4-ring PAHs accounting for more than 90% of the Σ15PAH, and dominated by phenanthrene (~40%). Of the HCH isomers, only y–HCH was detected with air concentrations ranging from 5 to 120pg m−3. While for DDT isomers, p,p’–DDE was the only compound detected, ranging from below detection limit (BDL) to 360pg m−3. Other OCPs (chlordanes, heptachlor and Dieldrin) showed low air concentrations (pg m−3) on the order of ~-1 - 3. Endosulfan, which is a newly listed persistent organic pollutant (POP) under the Stockholm Convention (SC) on POPs, ranged from 14 to 20pg m−3. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) also newly listed under the SC, were relatively uniform across the transect with air concentrations (pg m−3) in the range of ~5 to 10. This study represents one of the first efforts to characterize the POPs composition in ambient air for urban and industrial areas of Chile.