title: Polychlorobiphenyls in Antarctica
abstract: The presence and the distribution of polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) in Antarctic environmental components and the effect of the seasonal formation/melting process of pack ice on the pollution level of seawater were investigated. Seawater, marine, and lake sediment and soil samples were collected in a large area of the Ross Sea and Victoria Land during the 1988-1989, 1989-1990, 1990-1991, and 1991-1992 Italian expeditions. The results obtained highlighted a low and quite homogeneous PCB contamination of the studied area. Surface seawater samples from Gerlache Inlet and Wood Bay showed a typical PCB concentration of 130 pg/liter, and an increase after pack ice melting of about 30-40%. Marine sediment, lake sediment, and soil samples showed normalized mean PCB contents of 150, 240, and 130 (pg/g)/(m2/cm3), respectively.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale, Istituto di Chimica Analitica Strumentale, CNR, via Risorgimento 35, Pisa, 56126, Italy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fuoco
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Colombini
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ceccarini
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Abete