Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in the European Atmosphere: An Updated Overview

POPs are a group of chemicals which share some specific characterictics, that make them of high international concern. Due to their semivolatility, POPs present a widespread distribution being able to reach remote locations and areas after traveling long distances in the atmosphere where they have never been produced nor used. Different chemical families are considered as POPs, such as PCBs, OCPs, PCDD/Fs, PAHs, and, PCNs. In addition, some emerging contaminants are currently considered as candidate POPs, like PBDEs and PFCs. POPs exist in the atmosphere as gases and bound to particles depending on their physico-chemical properties. This affinity to gas or particulate phase is of relevant importance in the processes of POP atmospheric global transport and degradation. POPs are delivered to aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems by atmospheric deposition, air-water interchanges and direct discharges. The general hydrophobic nature of POPs results in high affinity to organic matter and biota tissues. Consequently, organisms and sediments become final sinks of POPs, due to low metabolic activity for these compounds and slow degradation processes in the environment. A number of national and international actions have been promoted to reduce or ban their production and control their emissions to the environment. The UNEP Stockholm Convention adopted in May 2001. The Artic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) is measuring atmospheric concentrations of POPs in the artic region since it was established in 1991. At a European scale a big effort is being carried out combining the update of existing monitoring programmes with the generation of new legislations. Such is the case of the largest monitoring network across Europe gathering concentrations of POPs in air and deposition (EMEP). On the political side, the brand new European legislation on chemicals, REACH, will regulate the production of chemicals at a European scale. In addition, other POPs monitoring programmes exist at regional or national scales and a large number of ;independent; sites measuring atmospheric concentrations of POPs are spread out in the European geography. Considering such a scenario it seems obvious that a strong effort in harmonization and communication of results and monitoring and research strategies needs to be achieved. A step to facilitate this needed interaction was the workshop on ;Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in the European Atmosphere ; Concentration, Deposition and Sources in Europe; organized by the European Commission Joint Research Center held in October 17-19th, 2005 in Stresa (Italy). It was one of the objectives of the workshop to gather top experts from Europe and North America to share their expertise on POP monitoring and research in the atmospheric compartment in order to evaluate their current status in Europe. Invited experts develop their professional activities either in the existing POPs monitoring networks or in research institutions closely linked to POPs research. Other objectives of the workshop were to explore future research lines on the topic and to establish links with the existing science and new policies in Europe regarding chemicals. Twenty oral communications were presented covering relevant key issues on POPs: In this report a compilation of the extended abstracts submitted by the participants is presented, whereas the working result output of the workshop will be submitted as an article to a peer-reviewed scientific journal.JRC.H.5-Rural, water and ecosystem resource

Releases of PCDD/Fs, PCBs, PAHs and HCB Through Bottom Ashes from Brick Kilns Operating with Different Kind of Fuels - Results from a Pilot Study in Mexico - A Contribution to the Update and Review of the Standardized Toolkit for Identification and Quantification of Dioxin and Furan Releases

The Standardized Toolkit for Identification and Quantification of Dioxin and Furan Releases is aimed at supporting the parties to the Stockholm Convention (SC) on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in setting up their national implementation plan, which includes the characterization of unintentional releases of POPs (in this case PCDD/Fs, PCBs and HCB) from all relevant sectors. To this end the toolkit combines sector specific activity data with related emission factors for releases to air, land, water, residues and products. In 2007 the Expert Group for updating and improving the Toolkit, chaired by the Secretariat of the SC (SSC) and UNEP, identified priority areas of reasearch. The group highlighted the need for screening POPs sources that so far are poorly characterized in the Toolkit. Among these, brick kilns in developing countries were given highest priority since so far, no data were available. The Expert Group recommended as a first step to measure soil or vegetation samples close to (small) brick kilns in developing countries to obtain preliminary orientation as to the impact from this source. In the fore field of the experimental planning the question in how far different kinds of fuels, in particular waste derived fuels, may impact the formation of POPs was approached through the analyses of bottom ashes from kilns co-incinerating waste in comparison with brick kilns operated with virgin wood. The results from bottom ash reveal a distinct impact on the presence of POPs in the brick making process when waste is co-incinerated, thus suggesting to include the brick kilns operated with waste fuels as a different category into the toolkit and to include the issue of co-incineration of waste into the experimental set up. The emission factors via the bottom ashes itself rangeJRC.H.5-Rural, water and ecosystem resource

Seasonality of PCDD/Fs in Ambient Air of Malopolska Region, Southern Poland

Purpose: The aim of the study was to identify the impact PCDD/F emission sources on ambient air concentrations in Malopolska Region, southern Poland. Three sites were selected: city center of Krakow (Aleje), an industrial area (Nova Huta) and a rural site (Zakopane). In order to investigate the annual variations of PCDD/F sources, summer and winter time samples were taken. Sampling and analytical methods: Ambient air particulate matter (PM10) was collected using an Anderson High Volume sampler during June and December 2002 in the three mentioned sites. Analysis of PCDD/Fs was based on isotope dilution using high resolution gas chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC-HRMS) for quantification. Results: Total concentrations of 2,3,7,8-PCDD/Fs in air particulate phase from Malopolska region ranged from 0.6 to 37 pg m-3 (0.04-3.2 pg WHO98-TEQ m-3, 0.037-2.9 pg I-TEQ m-3). Higher PCDD/F concentrations were measured at all three sites during winter. A linear correlation among PCDD/F concentrations, B(a)P and PM10 concentrations was found in Aleje and Zakopane, which suggested that all compounds were originating from the same source, solid fuel domestic heating. Instead, PCDD/F levels in Nova Huta did not correlate with the seasonality of B(a)P or PM10 levels and 2,3,7,8-PCDD/F congener patterns for this site were significantly different from the other sites. Conclusions: Domestic solid fuel combustion is likely the main PCDD/F source in winter in this part of Poland for urban and rural sites. PCDD/F fingerprints in the industrial site remained almost identical during summer and winter, confirming the yearly prevalence of the emissions from the nearby metal industry.JRC.H.1-Water Resource

Soil Contamination with PCDD/Fs as a Function of Different Types of Land Use in a Semi-rural Region in Northern Italy

See it in Attachments.JRC.H.5-Rural, water and ecosystem resource

Levels of PCDD/Fs and Trace Elements in Superficial Soils of Pavia Province (Italy)

Trace elements and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) were analyzed in soils from rural and light-industrialized sites (n=168) of Province of Pavia (Northern Italy). Most of the trace element values fit in typical ranges of concentrations in soils and are similar to the ones reported for rural sites in Italy or sites with no direct anthropogenic impact. Total concentrations of 2,3,7,8 chlorine substituted PCDD/Fs in superficial soils ranged between 24.4 and 1287 pg g-1 dw (0.5¿28.9 pg WHO98-TEQ g-1 dw). The North Eastern part of the Province presented significantly higher levels (pb0.001) than the rest of the Province for As, Cd, Hg, Pb, Zn and PCDD/Fs. While the existence of a defined heavy metal polluting source for this specific site has been suggested, in the case of PCDD/Fs, profiles were not linked to any specific emission source fingerprint. In the whole extension of Pavia Province, OCDD/F dominated the 2,3,7,8 chlorine substituted congener soil pattern, followed by the 1,2,3,4,6,7,8 hepta-CDD/F congener. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed that this profile could not be associated to any described PCDD/F emission source fingerprint and was relatively similar to the baseline deposition of sites with no direct impact of PCDD/F emission sources independently of land use.JRC.H.5-Rural, water and ecosystem resource

Atmospheric concentrations, occurrence and deposition of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in a Mediterranean coastal site (Etang der Tau, France)

Atmospheric concentrations and deposition fluxes (wet and dry) of PCDD/F, PCB and PBDE to a Mediterranean coastal location (Thau lagoon, France) have been evaluated. ∑2,3,7,8-PCDD/Fs, ∑18 PCBs and ∑8 PBDEs (gas + particulate) air concentrations ranged from 67-1700 fg m-3, 13-95 and 158-230 pg m-3, respectively. Air masses origin and composition as well as local meteorological conditions play a role in pollutant loadings into the Thau lagoon airshed and subsequent inputs to the aquatic system. Whereas PCDD/Fs may arrive to the area transported from other regions as well as locally emitted, PCB and PBDEs inputs seem to me more related to local emissions. Total (wet + dry) Σ2,3,7,8-PCDD/Fs, Σ18PCBs, and Σ8PBDEs (dry only) mass inputs to Thau Lagoon waters are 3, 18, and 16 g y-1, respectively. The observed seasonality of atmospheric fluxes (higher values during the cold season), highlights the ‘dynamic’ character of the airshed, determining different contaminant loads in the aquatic system depending of its status.JRC.H.1-Water Resource

Occurrence of Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-dioxins and Dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) and Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) in Lake Maggiore (Italy and Switzerland)

Samples of air (gas and particulate phases), bulk deposition, aquatic settling material and sediments were collected in Lake Maggiore (LM) in order to determine their content of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Air (gas and particulate phases) concentrations were 0.5 pg m-3, 80 pg m-3, 13 pg m-3 and 106 pg m-3 for sum PCDD/Fs, sum PCBs, sum dioxin like-PCBs (DL-PCBs) and sum PBDEs, respectively. Deposition fluxes ranged from 0.7 ng m-2 day-1 for sum PCDD/Fs to 32 ng m-2 day-1 for sum PCBs. Aquatic settling material presented concentrations of 0.4 ng g-1 dw for sum PCDD/Fs, 13 ng g-1 dw for sum PCB, 3.4 ng g-1 dw for sum DL-PCBs and 5.7 ng g-1 dw for sum PBDEs. Mean sediment samples concentration were 0.4 ng g-1 dw for sum PCDD/Fs, 11 ng g-1 dw for sum PCB, 3 ng g-1 dw for sum DL-PCBs and 5.1 ng g-1 dw for sum PBDEs. Similar PCDD/F and DL-PCB congener patterns in all the environmental compartments of LM point to an important, if not dominant, contribution of atmospheric deposition as source of these pollutants into LM. In contrast, BDE congener distribution was not similar in the different environmental compartments. BDE 47 dominated air samples and settling material, while BDE 209 was the predominant congener in the bulk deposition. Moreover, sediments showed two distinct PBDE congener profiles. Lower PBDE concentration sediment samples were dominated by congeners 47 and 99, while BDE 209 dominated in higher concentration samples. This suggests the influence of local sources as as well as atmospheric input of PBDE into LM.JRC.H.5-Rural, water and ecosystem resource