Source Apportionment of Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Atmospheric Deposition in the Seattle, WA, USA Area Measured with Method 1668

Rodenburg, Lisa A.; Winstanley, Iris; Wallin, Jennifer M.

doi:10.1007/s00244-019-00640-x

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 34 publications

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“…An RSD of greater than or equal to 0.50 implies that the concentration could potentially be zero when considering a 95% confidence interval about the mean. Additionally, the matrix was reduced by removing congeners below LOQ in at least 50% of the samples, reducing the number to 133 individual or coeluting congeners. − PMF requires no zeros in the analyzed data set, so they are replaced with a small number. The remaining zero values in the data matrix were replaced with 10 –6 ng m –3 , a number smaller than any value in the data matrix …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Room-to-Room Variability of Airborne Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Schools and the Application of Air Sampling for Targeted Source Evaluation

Bannavti

Jahnke

Marek

et al. 2021

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Airborne polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations are higher indoors than outdoors due to their historical use in building materials and their presence in modern paints and surface treatments. For some populations, including school children, PCB levels indoors result in inhalation exposures that may be greater than or equivalent to exposure through diet. In a school, PCB exposure may come from multiple sources. We hypothesized that there are both Aroclor and non-Aroclor sources within a single school and that PCB concentration and congener profiles differ among rooms within a single building. To evaluate this hypothesis and to identify potential localized sources, we measured airborne PCBs in nine rooms in a school. We found that schoolroom concentrations exceed outdoor air concentrations. Schoolroom concentrations and congener profiles also varied from one room to another. The concentrations were highest in the math room (35.75 ng m–3 ± 8.08) and lowest in the practice gym (1.54 ng m–3 ± 0.35). Rooms in the oldest wing of the building, originally constructed between 1920 and 1970, had the highest concentrations. The congener distribution patterns indicate historic use of Aroclor 1254 as well as modern sources of non-Aroclor congeners associated with paint pigments and surface coatings. Our findings suggest this noninvasive source identification method presents an opportunity for targeted source testing for more cost-effective prioritization of materials remediation in schools.

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