title: Relationships between organic matter, black carbon and persistent organic pollutants in European background soils: Implications for sources and environmental fate.
abstract: Black carbon (BC) and total organic carbon (TOC) contents of UK and Norwegian background soils were determined and their relationships with persistent organic pollutants (HCB, PAHs, PCBs, co-planar PCBs, PBDEs and PCDD/Fs) investigated by correlation and regression analyses, to assess their roles in influencing compound partitioning/retention in soils. The 52 soils used were high in TOC (range 54-460 mg/g (mean 256)), while BC only constituted 0.24-1.8% (0.88%) of the TOC. TOC was strongly correlated (p<0.001) with HCB, PCBs, co-PCBs and PBDEs, but less so with PCDD/Fs (p<0.05) and PAHs. TOC explained variability in soil content, as follows: HCB, 80%; PCBs, 44%; co-PCBs, 40%; PBDEs, 27%. BC also gave statistically significant correlations with PBDEs (p<0.001), co-PCBs (p<0.01) and PCBs, HCB, PCDD/F (p<0.05); TOC and BC were correlated with each other (p<0.01). Inferences are made about possible combustion-derived sources, atmospheric transport and air-surface exchange processes for these compounds.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Chemicals Management and Environmental Science Department, Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA14YQ, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Jae Jak
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Nam
authors.forename: Orjan
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gustafsson
authors.forename: Perihan
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kurt-Karakus
authors.forename: Knut
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Breivik
authors.forename: Eiliv
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Steinnes
authors.forename: Kevin C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D002244:Carbon / Q000032:analysis*; D004463:Ecology / Q000379:methods; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000032:analysis; D052918:Environmental Restoration and Remediation; D006812:Humic Substances / Q000032:analysis*; D009664:Norway; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis*; D012987:Soil / Q000032:analysis*; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D006113:United Kingdom
chemical_list: D006812:Humic Substances; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D002244:Carbon