Atmospheric concentration characteristics and gas-particle partitioning of PCBs in a rural area of eastern Germany.
Atmospheric concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were measured in 14 successive daytime and nighttime air samples collected from Melpitz, a rural site in eastern Germany. The average total concentration of PCBs was 110+/-80 pg m-3 and they were predominately present in the gas phase (approximately 95%). Composition of individual congeners closely resembled those of Clophen A30 and Aroclor 1232. Partial vapor pressures of PCBs were well correlated with temperature and the steep slopes obtained from Clausius-Clapeyron plots (-4500 to -8000) indicated that evaporation from adjacent land surfaces still controls the atmospheric levels of these pollutants. Particle-gas partitioning coefficients (KP) of PCBs were well correlated with the respective sub-cooled vapor pressures (PLo), but the slopes obtained from logKP versus logPLo plots (-0.16 to -0.59) deviated significantly from the expected value of -1. Overall, gas-particle partitioning of PCBs was better simulated by Junge-Pankow than octanol/air partition coefficient-based model.
Mandalakis
Manolis
M
Environmental Chemical Processes Laboratory (ECPL), Department of Chemistry, University of Crete, P.O. Box 2208, GR-71003, Heraklion, Greece. mandalakis@chemistry.uoc.gr
Stephanou
Euripides G
EG
D000383:Agriculture; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005740:Gases; D005858:Germany; D008685:Meteorological Concepts; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D052638:Particulate Matter; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis*
D000393:Air Pollutants; D005740:Gases; D052638:Particulate Matter; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls