Monitoring of the global scale pollution in seawater with Persistent organic pollutants deployed on voluntary observation ships: Monitoring on Pacific Ocean

Abstract

To clarify the spatial and temporal variations and the chemodynamics of persistent organic pollutants in seawater on a global scale, we developed monitoring systems and installed them in merchant vessels as voluntary observation ships. We also observed persistent organic pollutants in seawater in the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea. We used a balk carrier between Japan and Australia, a cruse vessel on the South Pacific Ocean and Antarctic Ocean, and a container ship between East Asia and North America as voluntary observation ships. For sampling persistent organic pollutants, we used a solid-phase extraction method, and 100 L of seawater was passed through columns containing solid-phase extractors, and immediately the sample was stored on the vessel at -20°C. The sample was stored in a freezer at the National Institute for Environment Studies, and analyzed by the HRGC/HRMS-SIM method. We detected persistent organic pollutants in all samples, and their concentrations and contents of isomer were very characteristic. These data give much information for analyzing the emission source and the transporting route. © 2010 The Japan Society for Analytical Chemistry.