IMMISSION PATTERNS OF AIRBORNE POLLUTANTS IN ARGENTINA AND GERMANY .2. BIOMONITORING OF ORGANOCHLORINE COMPOUNDS AND POLYCYCLIC AROMATICS

The air pollution profiles of organic xenobiotics (including chlorinat ed insecticides and benzenes, PCBs and PAHs) were comparatively analyz ed in the climatically different regions of Leipzig-Halle (Germany) an d Greater Mendoza (Argentina) using two-year-old pine needles (Pinus s ylvestris L.) as passive biomonitors. In addition to total compound co ntents, the levels of potentially bioavailable fraction in the inner n eedle compartment were determined. The peak levels of chlorinated inse cticides and PAHs in an urban park in Mendoza were found to exceed the maximum levels in the Leipzig-Halle region by one to two orders of ma gnitude, indicating the recent substantial tropospheric input of the c ompounds from local sources, Bioavailable fractions were observed to e xhibit considerable variations for some of these compounds, which beca me even more distinct when needle samples from Germany and Argentina w ere compared. Generally speaking, an increase in permeability under se miarid climatic conditions was observed for most of the xenobiotics ex amined. The discussion of the results reflects the problems associated with using biomonitoring for semivolatile compounds. Interpretation t akes into account pollution measurements in the air at Argentine and G erman reference sites. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.