No abstract

To determine atmospheric deposition of anthropogenic contaminants to the Great Lakes, the United States and Canada established the Integrated Atmospheric Deposition Network (IADN), designed to collect regional data representative of the air over the lakes. In this paper, we present an update of atmospheric loadings to the Great Lakes for seven organochlorine pesticides, four polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners and total-PCBs, four polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and four trace metals. Calculations are based on gas, particle, and precipitation samples obtained in 1993 and 1994 at the five master IADN sampling stations. Air−water exchange is the dominant process for most organochlorines and lower molecular weight PAHs. Within the uncertainty in the data given here, current atmospheric loadings are indistinguishable from air−water equilibrium having been achieved over the lakes. In other words, the deposition of most organochlorine compounds into the Great Lakes is about balanced by the evaporation of these compounds from the lakes. Uncertainties in gas-transfer loadings are due to our inexact knowledge of physiochemical parameters, averaging of data over long time scales, and insufficient data for nonatmospheric sources.

A chlorinated compound (Chlordene Plus, CP), structurally related to Dechloranes (Dec) 602, 603, 604, and Dechlorane Plus (DP), was identified, and concentrations and spatial trends of Dec 602, 603, 604, CP, and DP in tributary sediments of the Laurentian Great Lakes are reported. The dechloranes were widely detected with their concentrations varying considerably across the Great Lakes basin. Spatial trends of Dec 602, 604, and DP in Canadian tributary sediments were similar to that of BDE 209, which suggested these flame retardant chemicals in tributaries were associated with industrial and urban areas. The highest concentrations of Dec 602, 604, and DP observed in tributaries of the Niagara River confirmed that past or ongoing manufacturing of these compounds at plants along the river were important sources to Lake Ontario. Dec 603 was detected in technical products of aldrin and dieldrin, and its spatial trend was consistent with historic pesticide usage. Similarly, CP was detected in technical products of chlordene and chlordane, and it was found in higher concentrations in sediments near urban areas, possibly related to past chlordane use in home termite control.