title: Background levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in soils from Mount Meru area, Arusha district (Tanzania).
abstract: This study investigates the contamination by 13 polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners in an altitudinal soil transect on Mt. Meru area, Northern Tanzania. A ∑13PBDEs mean concentration of 386±200 pg/g d.w. (4900±3500 pg ∑13PBDEs/g soil organic matter - SOM) was measured, pointing out that, in a prevalently agricultural area from the southern hemisphere, PBDE contamination can be even higher than in similar semi-remote environment of industrialized country of the northern one. The Mt. Meru PBDE pattern of contamination was characterized by the prevalence of intermediate brominated congeners (tetra- and penta-BDEs). Among the detected compounds, BDE-47 was the main congener, followed by BDE-99, BDE-190 and BDE-100. The distribution of PBDEs confirmed that organic carbon had a substantial impact on their accumulation in Tanzanian soils. The altitudinal profile of PBDEs (log TOC-normalized concentrations) fitted a second order polynomial model with altitude, with an initial concentration decrease, interpreted as a dilution effect from local/regional sources, and a following consistent increase with altitude according to the cold condensation theory. Evidences of distillation effect among PBDE congeners were also observed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy. marco.parolini@unimi.it
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Parolini
authors.forename: Niccolò
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Guazzoni
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Comolli
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Binelli
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tremolada
mesh_terms: D000531:Altitude; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers / Q000032:analysis*; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D013636:Tanzania
chemical_list: D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; D012989:Soil Pollutants