EVALUATION AND APPLICATION OF A FUGACITY MODEL TO EXPLAIN THE PARTITIONING OF CONTAMINANTS IN THE ST-LAWRENCE-RIVER VALLEY

A fugacity-based model to explain the partitioning of contaminants in the environment is evaluated. Using emission inventories, air and wate r concentrations predicted by the model for the southwestern Quebec re gion generally agree with field data for phenanthrene, alpha-HCH, lind ane, and DDT. For pyrene, air concentrations are in agreement but wate r concentrations were in error by a factor of nearly 20. There is also a possibility for using the model to predict emissions from known air and water concentrations. The model was run over 120 times each for p henanthrene, HCB, and lindane while randomly varying the input paramet ers each time. A Principal Components Analysis and a partial correlati on analysis indicate that certain input parameters are more important for some compounds than for others and that log K-ow is the physical-c hemical property of greatest importance.