No abstract

With being listed in the Stockholm Convention, the ban on short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) has been put on the agenda in China. Based on the literature over the past decade, this study comprehensively analyzed the occurrence, distribution of and human exposure to SCCPs in China, aiming to provide a reference for the changes in SCCPs after the ban. SCCPs were ubiquitous in environmental matrices, and the levels were considerably higher than those in other countries. SCCPs from the emission region were 2–4 orders of magnitude higher than those in the background area. Environmental processes may play an important role in the SCCP profiles in the environment, and C10 and Cl6 were identified as potential factors distinguishing their spatial distribution. River input was the dominant source in the sea areas, and atmospheric transport was the main source in the remote inland areas. Ingestion and dermal absorption and food intake may pose potential risk to residents, especially for children and infants. More studies are needed on their temporal trend, source emission and environmental degradation. The enactment of the restriction order will have a great impact on China’s CP industry; nevertheless, it will play a positive role in the remediation of SCCP pollution in the environment.

No abstract

The polar regions had long been regarded as healthy ecosystems free of any hazardous traces left by human activity. Unfortunately, since the intensification of industrial activities leading to huge releases into environment, anthropogenic pollutants through global atmospheric and ocean currents were found with more or less high concentrations in all polar ecosystem compartments. Among these pollutants, one of the most dangerous categories is persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Since polar ecosystems are fragile and have a limited capacity for resilience, their contamination can generate unforeseeable consequences that can affect global cycles. Our work aims to compile data collected through a review of studies carried out within the framework of POPs evolution in polar regions, and then to compare them in order to identify future improvements to be made within the framework of POPs monitoring in the Arctic and Antarctic. According to our observations, POPs concentrations in all ecosystem compartments in Arctic are much higher than in Antarctica. Moreover, global warming influencing the abiotic factors of diffusion and mobility of POPs has led to a massive revolatization of POPs in the Arctic as well as an increase in their concentrations in large mammals. We also noted a lack of availability of consistent and continuous long-term data in Antarctic, which is why an ambiguity persists in the understanding of the POPs contamination routes, their evolution as well as the application of projection models.