Toward a Global Network for Persistent Organic Pollutants in Air:  Results from the GAPS Study

Abstract

The Global Atmospheric Passive Sampling (GAPS) study aims to demonstrate the feasibility of using passive samplers to assess the spatial distribution of persistent organic pollutants on a worldwide basis. The GAPS network includes more than 40 sites on 7 continents, mainly in background locations, with some representation of urban and agricultural areas. Here we present concentrations of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in polyurethane foam disk samplers, deployed from December 2004 to March 2005. Legacy OCPs such as alpha-HCH (hexachlorocyclohexane), Chlordanes (trans- and cis-Chlordane and trans-Nonachlor), Dieldrin, and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane isomers were detected at most sites with some high values that may be related to possible continued use and/or re-emissions related to historic use. Geometric mean (GM) air concentrations (pg/m3) were: 8.5 for sigmaHCH (sum of alpha- and gamma-isomers), 2.6 for sigmaChlordanes, 0.8 for Dieldrin, and 0.8 for p,p'-DDE. Current-use pesticides such as gamma-HCH (lindane) and especially Endosulfan I exhibited more variable and higher concentrations with GMs of 5 and 58, respectively. PCBs and PBDEs were elevated at urban/suburban sites consistent with their historical use pattern. GM concentrations (pg/m3) were 17 for PCBs and 4 for PBDEs. Sampling under GAPS will continue and will eventually allow seasonality effects and longer-term temporal and spatial trends to be evaluated.

Environmental fate and behavior of persistent organic pollutants in Shergyla Mountain, southeast of the Tibetan Plateau of China

“…Compared to the reports at other regional background and global alpine sites (Pozo et al, 2006), the air concentration of endosulfan I in the Shergyla Mountain was at a very low level. However its relative prevailing level in the air of the Shergyla Mountain still matched the conclusion that endosulfan was one of the most abundant OCPs in the global air (Weber et al, 2010).…”

Current status of persistent organic pesticides residues in air, water, and soil, and their possible effect on neighboring countries: A comprehensive review of India

“…Secondly, POP emissions linked to low-temperature combustion processes will increase for Asia, Africa and S. America, where biomass burning and forest fires are common (Crutzen and Andrea, 1990;Kasischke and Penner, 2004). Thirdly, many currently used pesticides are increasingly being used across the globe, indicating their major use in agricultural areas of S. America, Africa and Asia (Pozo et al, 2006). Tanabe et al (1994) assumed that the large quantities of persistent organochlorines used in tropical regions were released into the atmosphere and dispersed through 'long-range atmospheric transport' in global terms.…”

Atmospheric polychlorinated biphenyls in Indian cities: Levels, emission sources and toxicity equivalents

“…For other sites, where temperature mostly varied between 23 and 25 C, much lower levels of PCBs (<5%) were observed in the particulate phase. Such a variation occurred since higher temperatures for the sites under tropical climate triggers revolatilisation of the semivolatile PCBs and results in higher gaseous air concentrations (Pozo et al, 2006). Gas-phase PCBs are dominated by tetrachlorinated congeners with heavier homologue groups comprising decreasing percentages with increasing MW.…”