Jr. Chiarenzelli et al., Polychlorinated biphenyls in nonaccumulating, century-old sediments: Sources, signatures, and mechanism of introduction, ENV SCI TEC, 35(14), 2001, pp. 2903-2908
Citations number
45
Categorie Soggetti
Environment/Ecology,"Environmental Engineering & Energy
This study documents the occurrence of highly chlorinated PCB congeners in
stream sediment deposited over 100 years ago. Penta- to heptachlorinated co
ngeners (> 80%) have been found at concentrations up to 78.8 ng/g (dw) in c
ore samples of a small, rural tributary of Lake Ontario. Lower chlorinated
congeners and other organochlorine compounds occur sporadically; Pb-210 and
Cs-137 are lacking. The most plausible mechanism is accumulation of dissol
ved-phase PCBs in permeable sediments adjacent to the creek channel. The si
milarity between core and air samples collected in the drainage basin sugge
sts derivation from a residual fraction of atmospherically derived PCB cong
eners.