title: Continuing sources of PCBs: the significance of building sealants.
abstract: To investigate the significance of building sealants as a remaining source of PCBs to the environment a combined measurement campaign and GIS-based stock estimation were undertaken for Toronto, Canada. This showed that 14% of buildings measured had detectable quantities of PCBs present in sealants, with concentrations from 0.57 mg/g to 82 mg/g (n=95). We then constructed a GIS-based database of remaining PCB-containing sealants in Toronto. This showed that there is an estimated 13 t still present in the city. Mass balance calculations showed that up to 9% had been lost via volatilization alone. This potentially has important implications for both human exposure and the continued presence of PCBs in the environment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geography, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. matthewrobson@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Robson
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Melymuk
authors.forename: Susan A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Csiszar
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giang
authors.forename: Miriam L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Diamond
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Helm
mesh_terms: D003252:Construction Materials / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D004787:Environmental Pollution; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls