title: Assessing persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the Sicily Island atmosphere, Mediterranean, using PUF disk passive air samplers.
abstract: In this study, PUF disk passive air samplers were deployed at eight sites, during two sampling periods, on the Island of Sicily in the Mediterranean basin. Samples were screened for a number of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) (n = 28 congeners), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) (n = 16 compounds), and polybrominated biphenyl ethers (PBDEs n = 28) using GC-MS. PCB concentrations in air ranged ~10-300 pg m-3. The PCB pattern was dominated by lower to middle molecular weight PCBs (Cl3-5) and PCB-28 and PCB-52 were the most abundant congeners. α- and γ-Hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) concentrations in air were relatively high ~420 ± 320 (50-1000) and 460 ± 340 (30-1000) pg m-3, respectively, with an average α/γ ratio of 1 ± 0.5, indicating a tendency of higher use of lindane than of technical HCH. Among DDTs, only p,p'-DDT 90 ± 15 (~10-800) and p,p'-DDE 60 ± 60 (20-400) were frequently detected. DDT/DDE = 0.4-3.0 (1.0 ± 0.7 for both periods) suggesting past and fresh inputs of DDT at the sampling sites. α-Endosulfan, recently included in Annex A of the Stockholm Convention, fluctuated between 120 ± 50 (50-1000) pg m-3. In contrast, PBDE levels were very low (0.2-2 pg m-3). Back trajectories of advection suggest that POP levels are mainly related to local sources (primary or secondary) from Sicily (50-70 % contribution of air masses), Southern Italy, and Sardinia (20 %). This study provides new information for POP levels in the atmosphere of the Mediterranean region.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Science, Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment (RECETOX), Masaryk University, Kamenice 753/5, 625 00, Brno, Czech Republic. kpozo@ucsc.cl.|Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción, Alonso de Ribera 2850, 407 01 29, Concepción, Chile. kpozo@ucsc.cl.|Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Ambientes Sustentables (CIBAS), Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción, Alonso de Ribera 2850, 407 01 29, Concepción, Chile. kpozo@ucsc.cl.|Dipartimento Scienze fisiche, della Terra e dell'ambiente, Universitá degli Studi di Siena, Via Mattioli 4, 53100, Siena, Italy. kpozo@ucsc.cl.
authors.forename: Karla
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pozo
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento della Scienza della Terra e il Mare, Universitá degli Studi di Palermo, Pleasso di Viale delle Scienze - Edificio 16, Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Margherita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Palmeri
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento della Scienza della Terra e il Mare, Universitá degli Studi di Palermo, Pleasso di Viale delle Scienze - Edificio 16, Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Valeria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Palmeri
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Science, Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment (RECETOX), Masaryk University, Kamenice 753/5, 625 00, Brno, Czech Republic.|Dipartimento Scienze fisiche, della Terra e dell'ambiente, Universitá degli Studi di Siena, Via Mattioli 4, 53100, Siena, Italy.
authors.forename: Victor H
authors.initials: VH
authors.lastname: Estellano
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Science, Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment (RECETOX), Masaryk University, Kamenice 753/5, 625 00, Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Marie D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Mulder
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Science, Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment (RECETOX), Masaryk University, Kamenice 753/5, 625 00, Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Christos I
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Efstathiou
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento della Scienza della Terra e il Mare, Universitá degli Studi di Palermo, Pleasso di Viale delle Scienze - Edificio 16, Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Gian Luca
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Sará
authors.affiliation: Istituto per la Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologica Applicata al Mare, Via dei Mille 44, 98057, Milazzo, Italy.
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Romeo
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Science, Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment (RECETOX), Masaryk University, Kamenice 753/5, 625 00, Brno, Czech Republic.|Multiphase Chemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz, Germany.
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lammel
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento Scienze fisiche, della Terra e dell'ambiente, Universitá degli Studi di Siena, Via Mattioli 4, 53100, Siena, Italy.
authors.forename: Silvano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Focardi
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D001272:Atmosphere / Q000032:analysis; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers / Q000032:analysis*; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated / Q000032:analysis*; D062312:Islands; D019083:Mediterranean Region; D010575:Pesticides / Q000032:analysis*; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis*; D012802:Sicily
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; D010575:Pesticides; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls
keywords: Air back trajectories; Mediterranean; POPs; PUF disks; Passive samplers; The Island of Sicily