Dioxin-like pollutants in sub-alpine Northern Italy: results from 1 year of monitoring at the EMEP Ispra Station

Dioxin-like pollutants (i.e. polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans, PCDD/Fs and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls, DL-PCBs ) are considered potent toxicants capable of producing a wide spectrum of adverse health effects in biota and humans. There are still some areas in Europe for which none or little information is available on atmospheric ambient levels, occurrence and deposition of these contaminants. Such is the case with Southern-Western Europe. Moreover, the scarcity of consistent experimental data sets on atmospheric concentrations poses a problem for proper validation of models. The objective of this study was to initiate POPs atmospheric measurements (weekly resolution) in order to assess air concentrations, seasonal variations and atmospheric deposition of PCDD/Fs and DL-PCBS in a sub-alpine location where little information is available on POPs ambient levels. To achieve this goal, a monitoring and research station was set up at the Joint Research Centre EMEP site (Ispra, Italy). A one year data set (2005-2006) on PCDD/Fs and DL-PCB air concentrations (gas and particulate phases) is presented and discussed. ¿2,3,7,8-PCDD/Fs and ¿DL-PCB total (gas + particulate) atmospheric concentrations ranged from 70 to 3000 fg m-3 (4 to 215 WHO98-TEQ fg m-3) and 3 to 16 pg m-3 (0.5 to 2 WHO98-TEQ pg m-3), respectively. Both POPs families exhibited different seasonal patterns, PCDD/Fs presenting higher concentrations in the cold season and DL-PCB in hot season. Atmospheric deposition fluxes are under calculation and will help to complete the picture

CASTRO-JIMÉNEZ Javier;  EISENREICH Steven;  MARIANI Giulio;  SKEJO Helle;  UMLAUF Gunther; 

2011-08-29

SETAC Europe

JRC62296

http://milano.setac.eu/embed/Milan/AM11_abstract_book.pdf,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC62296,