Persistent organic pollutants in Lithuania: Assessment of air and soil contamination

Abstract

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorbiphenyls (PCBs), and pesticides (hexachlorcyclohexanes (HCHs), dichlordiphenyltrichlormetilmetanes (DDTs)) were investigated in the atmospheric air and soil at 5 sites of Lithuania during March-August, 2006. POPs concentration at different sampling sites varied in the range of 6.39-127.8 ngm-3, 0.017-0.440 ngm-3, 0.088-0.310 ngm-3, and 0.006-0.360 ngm-3 in the atmospheric air and in the range of 29.5-529.3 ng g-1, 0.6-24.0 ng g-1, 0.4-1.1 ng g-1, and 0.3-7.7 ng g-1 in soil for PAHs, PCBs, HCHs, and DDTs, respectively. The direct relationship between the POPs concentration level in the atmospheric air and soil at all sampling sites was observed. The concentrations of PAHs dominated over those of other POP groups in the atmospheric air and soil as well. The highest concentrations of almost all POP compounds were determined in the atmospheric air and soil in Vilnius city at the site with intensive traffic and commercial activity. Such wide range investigations of POPs in the natural environment components have been performed for the first time in Lithuania. © Lithuanian Physical Society, 2008.