Abstract
Air pollution and atmospheric deposition by PCBs and organochlorine pesticides (isomers of HCH and p,p′-DDE) were studied at Paris from January 1986 to June 1987. The deposition measured as total (wet plus dry) was also followed during 1986 on two suburban and two rural sites. The distribution of the pollutants between the vapor phase and aerosols was evaluated by sampling air through a glass microfiber filter connected to a Tenax resin cartridge. The study shows that in the atmosphere as in waters of the catchment area of the Seine river, PCBs are the main organochlorine pollutants. Pollution by OCL is of the same order as the one described in literature (mean γ-HCH concentration 1.4 ng m−3) while PCB concentrations in the atmosphere are equal to or higher than those observed in USA and Europe (range 5 to 44 ng m−3). On the average, 93% of the PCBs are in the vapor phase with a composition approximating Aroclor 1242. In aerosols and precipitations the composition is closely related to Aroclor 1254. The total fallout for 1986 was 40 μg m−2 for PCBs and 20 μg m−2 for γ-HCH, rainfall being 611 mm.
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Chevreuil, M., Chesterikoff, A., Létolle, R. et al. Atmospheric pollution and fallout by PCBS and organochlorine pesticides (Ile-De-France). Water Air Soil Pollut 43, 73–83 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00175584
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00175584