Levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the Antarctic atmosphere over time (1980 to 2021) and estimation of their atmospheric half-lives
-
Published:2023-07-19
Issue:14
Volume:23
Page:8103-8118
-
ISSN:1680-7324
-
Container-title:Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
-
language:en
-
Short-container-title:Atmos. Chem. Phys.
Author:
Luarte Thais, Gómez-Aburto Victoria A.ORCID, Poblete-Castro IgnacioORCID, Castro-Nallar Eduardo, Huneeus Nicolas, Molina-Montenegro Marco, Egas Claudia, Azcune GermánORCID, Pérez-Parada AndrésORCID, Lohmann Rainier, Bohlin-Nizzetto Pernilla, Dachs Jordi, Bengtson-Nash Susan, Chiang Gustavo, Pozo KarlaORCID, Galbán-Malagón Cristóbal J.
Abstract
Abstract. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are synthetic compounds that were
intentionally produced in large quantities and have been distributed in the
global environment, originating a threat due to their persistence,
bioaccumulative potential, and toxicity. POPs reach the Antarctic continent
through long-range atmospheric transport (LRAT). In these areas, low temperatures play a significant role in the environmental fate of POPs, retaining them for a long time due to cold trapping by diffusion and wet deposition, acting as a net sink for many POPs. However, in the current context of climate change, the remobilization of POPs that were trapped in water, ice, and soil for decades is happening. Therefore, continuous monitoring of POPs in polar air is necessary to assess whether there is a recent re-release of historical pollutants back to the environment. We reviewed the scientific literature on atmospheric levels of several POP families (polychlorinated biphenyls – PCBs, hexachlorobenzene – HCB, hexachlorocyclohexanes – HCHs, and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane – DDT) from 1980 to 2021. We estimated the atmospheric half-life using characteristic decreasing times (TD). We observed that HCB levels in the Antarctic atmosphere were higher than the other target organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), but HCB also displayed higher fluctuations and did not show a significant decrease over time. Conversely, the atmospheric levels of HCHs, some DDTs, and PCBs have decreased significantly. The estimated atmospheric half-lives for POPs decreased in the following order: 4,4' DDE (13.5 years) > 4,4' DDD (12.8 years) > 4,4' DDT (7.4 years) > 2,4' DDE (6.4 years) > 2,4' DDT (6.3 years) > α-HCH (6 years) > HCB (6 years) > γ-HCH (4.2 years). For PCB congeners, they decreased in the following order: PCB 153 (7.6 years) > PCB 138 (6.5 years) > PCB 101 (4.7 years) > PCB 180 (4.6 years) > PCB 28 (4 years) > PCB 52 (3.7 years) > PCB 118 (3.6 years). For HCH isomers and PCBs, the Stockholm Convention (SC) ban on POPs did have an impact on decreasing their levels during the last decades. Nevertheless, their ubiquity in the Antarctic atmosphere shows the problematic issues related to highly persistent synthetic chemicals.
Funder
Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Universidad Andrés Bello Institut chilien de l'Antarctique
Publisher
Copernicus GmbH
Subject
Atmospheric Science
Reference118 articles.
1. Atkinson, R.: Kinetics and mechanisms of the gas-phase reactions of the
hydroxyl radical with organic compounds under atmospheric conditions, Chem. Rev., 86,
69–201, 1986. 2. Avila, B. S., Mendoza, D. P., Ramírez, A., and Peñuela, G. A.:
Occurrence and Distribution of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in the
Atmosphere of the Andean City of Medellin, Colombia, Chemosphere, 307,
135648, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.135648, 2021. 3. Azcune, G., Griffero, L., Pareja, L., Ríos, J. M.,
Galbán-Malagón, C., and Pérez-Parada, A.: Trends in the monitoring
of legacy and emerging organic pollutants in protected areas, Trends
Environ. Anal. Chem., 34, e00165, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teac.2022.e00165, 2022. 4. Baek, S. Y., Choi, S. D., and Chang, Y. S.: Three-year atmospheric monitoring of
organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in polar regions and
the South Pacific, Environ. Sci. Technol., 45, 4475–4482, https://doi.org/10.1021/es1042996, 2011. 5. Barber, J. L., Sweetman, A. J., Thomas, G. O., Braekevelt, E., Stern, G. A.,
and Jones, K. C.: Spatial and temporal variability in air concentrations of
short-chain (C10–C13) and medium-chain (C14–C17) chlorinated n-alkanes
measured in the U.K. atmosphere, Environ. Sci. Technol., 39, 4407–4415, https://doi.org/10.1021/es047949w, 2005.
Cited by
3 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献
|
|