title: Passive sampling: an effective method for monitoring seasonal and spatial variability of dissolved hydrophobic organic contaminants and metals in the Danube river.
abstract: Application of passive samplers is demonstrated for assessment of temporal and spatial trends of dissolved polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and priority metals in the middle stretch of the Danube river. Free dissolved concentrations of PAHs, measured using SPMD samplers, ranged from 5 to 72 ng L(-1). Dissolved PCBs in water were very low and they ranged from 5 to 16 pg L(-1). Concentration of mercury, cadmium, lead and nickel, measured using DGT samplers, were relatively constant along the monitored Danube stretch and in the range <0.1, <1-20, 18-74, and 173-544 ng L(-1), respectively. Concentrations of PAHs decreased with increasing temperature, which reflects the seasonality in emissions to water. This has an implication for the design of future monitoring programs aimed at assessment of long term trends. For such analysis time series should be constructed of data from samples collected always in the same season of the year.
authors.affiliation: Water Research Institute, Nabr. Arm. Gen. L. Svobodu 5, 812 49 Bratislava, Slovakia; Masaryk University, Faculty of Science, Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment RECETOX, Kamenice 753/5, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic. Electronic address: branovrana@googlemail.com.
authors.forename: Branislav
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vrana
authors.forename: Veronika
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Klučárová
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Benická
authors.forename: Ninette
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Abou-Mrad
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Amdany
authors.forename: Soňa
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Horáková
authors.forename: Astrid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Draxler
authors.forename: Franko
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Humer
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gans
mesh_terms: D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D008670:Metals / Q000032:analysis; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry*; D012621:Seasons; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D008670:Metals; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls
keywords: Danube; Free dissolved concentration; Metals; Passive sampling; Persistent organic pollutants