Evaluation of poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate-co-carbon monoxide) and polydimethylsiloxane for equilibrium sampling of polar organic contaminants in water.

The aim of the present study was to develop a passive absorptive equilibrium sampler that would enable the determination of the concentrations of polar organic compound (POC) in water more efficiently than existing techniques. To this end, a novel plastic material, poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate-co-carbon monoxide) (PEVAC), was evaluated and the results were compared with an existing silicone-based passive absorptive equilibrium device. Seven compounds (imidacloprid, carbendazim, metoprolol, atrazin, carbamazepine, diazinon, and chlorpyrifos), a mixture of pharmaceuticals, and pesticides with a logarithmic octanol-water partition coefficient ranging from 0.

Trophodynamics of mercury and other trace elements in a pelagic food chain from the Baltic Sea.

Mercury (Hg) and 13 other trace elements (Al, Ti, V, Cr, Fe, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, and Pb) were measured in phytoplankton, zooplankton, mysis and herring in order to examine the trophodynamics in a well-studied pelagic food chain in the Baltic Sea. The fractionation of nitrogen isotopes (delta(15)N) was used to evaluate food web structure and to estimate the extent of trophic biomagnification of the various trace elements. Trophic magnification factors (TMFs) for each trace element were determined from the slope of the regression between trace element concentrations and delta(15)N.

Possibilities and limitations of equilibrium sampling using polydimethylsiloxane in fish tissue.

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) has been used for passive equilibrium sampling in numerous abiotic environmental matrices. Recently, this approach was extended to lipid-rich tissue. This work investigated the possibilities and limitations of using PDMS thin-film extraction for in tissue equilibrium sampling in fish species of varying lipid content.

The ability of a novel sorptive polymer to determine the freely dissolved fraction of polar organic compounds in the presence of fulvic acid or sediment.

A novel plastic material, poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate-co-carbon monoxide) (PEVAC), was evaluated as an absorptive passive equilibrium sampler for determination of the freely dissolved fraction of seven polar organic contaminants (POCs) in the presence of fulvic acid and sediment. The seven compounds selected were imidacloprid, carbendazim, metoprolol, atrazin, carbamazepine, diazinon and chlorpyrifos, i.e.

Wild birds of declining European species are dying from a thiamine deficiency syndrome.

Wild birds of several species are dying in large numbers from an idiopathic paralytic disease in the Baltic Sea area. Here, we demonstrate strong relationships between this disease, breeding failure, and thiamine (vitamin B(1)) deficiency in eggs, pulli, and full-grown individuals. Thiamine is essential for vertebrates, and its diphosphorylated form functions as a cofactor for several life sustaining enzymes, whereas the triphosphorylated form is necessary for the functioning of neuronal membranes.

Freely dissolved concentrations and sediment-water activity ratios of PCDD/Fs and PCBs in the open Baltic Sea.

Aqueous concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and -furans (PCDD/Fs) as well as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the open sea have heretofore been measured by filtering and extracting large amounts of water. Measurement of freely dissolved concentrations with this technique is difficult because of corrections for sorption to dissolved organic matter. In this study we use a novel, more economic technique using equilibrium passive samplers consisting of 17-microm thin polyoxymethylene (POM-17), capable of measuring freely dissolved aqueous concentrations (Cw) in pristine (i.

Black carbon-dominated PCDD/Fs sorption to soils at a former wood impregnation site.

The influence of black carbon (BC) on the sorption of 17 native polychlorinated-p-dibenzodioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) was studied in five soil samples from a sawmill site where wood used to be impregnated with chlorophenol preservatives. The presence of BC caused measured total organic carbon (TOC)-water distribution ratios (K(TOC)) to be a median factor of 51 (interquartile range 18-68, n=85) higher than modeled amorphous organic carbon (AOC)-water distribution ratios (K(AOC)). K(TOC) was a factor of 73+/-27 above K(AOC) for PCDFs (n=10) and a factor of 20+/-13 (n=7) for PCDDs.

Black carbon-inclusive modeling approaches for estimating the aquatic fate of dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans.

A novel black carbon (BC) inclusive modeling tool is applied to estimate the distribution and long-term fate of dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) in the Norwegian Grenland Fjords. Three versions of the model were developed in which sediment-water partitioning was described using (i) an amorphous organic carbon (AOC) partitioning sorption model without BC sorption, (ii) a combined AOC and BC sorption model based on the Freundlich isotherm, and (iii) a combined BC-AOC model based on the Langmuir isotherm. The predictive ability of the three different models was evaluated for 17 PCDD/Fs by comparison of model predictions with observed organic carbon normalized sediment-water partition coefficients (K(TOC)) and with measured concentrations.

Field testing of equilibrium passive samplers to determine freely dissolved native polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations.

Equilibrium passive samplers are promising tools to determine freely dissolved aqueous concentrations (C(W,free)) of hydrophobic organic compounds. Their use in the field, however, remains a challenge. In the present study on native polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Oslo Harbor, Norway, two different passive sampler materials, polyoxymethylene (POM; thickness, 55 microm [POM-55] and 500 microm [POM-500]) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS; thickness, 200 microm), were used to determine in the laboratory C(W,free) in sediment pore water (C(PW,free)), and the suitability of five passive samplers for determination of C(W,free) in overlying surface water was tested under field conditions.

Biomagnification of organic pollutants in benthic and pelagic marine food chains from the Baltic Sea.

The trophic transfer of organic pollutants with varying physical chemical properties was determined in both a pelagic and benthic food chain using delta 15N as a continuous variable for assessing trophic levels. The trophic transfer of organic pollutants through the entire food chain in terms of food chain magnification factors (FCMFs) was quantified from the slope of the regression between ln [concentration] and delta 15N. Organic pollutants with statistically significant FCMFs >1 were considered to biomagnify within the food chain, whereas those with FCMFs <1 were considered to trophically dilute.

Dredging associated effects: maternally transferred pollutants and DNA adducts in feral fish.

This study reports on the bioavailability, maternal transfer, and genotoxicity in feral fish of organic sediment pollutants. Northern pike (Esox lucius) and perch (Perca fluviatilis) were caught in a polluted bay before and during dredging activities and from reference areas. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were analyzed in ovulating eggs to investigate if the bay sediment posed a threat to early life-stages of fish.

Biomagnification of PBDEs and PCBs in food webs from the Baltic Sea and the northern Atlantic Ocean.

Biomagnification of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs) in food webs from the Baltic Sea and the northern Atlantic Sea was investigated. For this, we used PCB and PBDE concentration data, together with data on fish body weight and delta15N of fish and zooplankton as a measure of trophic position. In the Baltic Sea material, consisting of zooplankton, sprat, herring and salmon, we report biomagnification of all PCB congeners but PCB #209 and of PBDEs with 3-6 or 7 bromine atoms.

Modelling the long-term fate of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs) in the Grenland Fjords, Norway.

The development and application of a predictive fate model (DIG--Dioxins in Grenland) for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/F) in the marine environment of the Norwegian Grenland Fjords are described. The objective of the modelling study was to predict long-term future changes in PCDD/F concentrations in the fjord following the cessation of point source emissions. To assess the reliability of the model, the model performance was evaluated by comparing model results to field measurements collected between 1989 and 2001.

Toxicity evaluation by using intact sediments and sediment extracts.

The toxicity of intact sediments and sediment extracts, from both an uncontaminated site and a site contaminated by pulp-mill effluents, was tested in a five months study. The deposit-feeding amphipod Monoporeia affinis was exposed in soft-bottom flow-through water microcosms. To examine potential toxicity a set of reproduction endpoints was used including fecundity and different embryo aberrations such as malformed eggs.

Distribution of PCNs, PCBs, and other POPs together with soot and other organic matter in the marine environment of the Grenlandsfjords, Norway.

The apparently dissolved concentration of polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) and three planar polychlorinated biphenyls (pPCBs) were sampled and analysed in the water column of a marine fjord system. We also measured how much of these persistent organic pollutants (POPs) were associated with suspended particles. The field observations showed that an unexpectedly high portion of the pollutants were particle-associated.

Polychlorinated biphenyls in polysulfide sealants--occurrence and emission from a landfill station.

Approximately 80,000 kg polysulfide sealant containing 10,000-18,000 kg polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) was deposited at a Swedish municipal landfill station during 1965-1973. Investigations during 1994 showed that soil layers underneath the landfill had concentration of PCB not alarmingly high. The concentration of PCB congeners in ground water samples was elevated 4-750 times compared to a reference sample.

Testing common sediment-porewater distribution models for their ability to predict dissolved concentrations of POPs in The Grenlandsfjords, Norway.

This study compares in situ observed porewater concentration of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) with predictions by common solid-water phase distribution models. Bottom sediments were sampled in The Grenlandsfjords, Norway, and the interstitial porewater was isolated from the solids by centrifugation and filtration. Both phases were analysed for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/F), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), and organic carbon.

The distribution and relative toxic potential of organic chemicals in a PCB contaminated bay.

For reliable monitoring of environmental improvement, the PCB contaminated bay Orserumsviken on Sweden's Baltic coast was investigated prior to remediation. We examined PCB congener patterns and the relative toxic potential of PCBs in extracts of three matrices: bottom sediment, settling particulate matter and the dissolved phase (obtained from semi-permeable membrane devices). Congener patterns were similar in all matrices.

A bio-effect directed fractionation study for toxicological and chemical characterization of organic compounds in bottom sediment.

The major aim of this study was to characterize toxic organic compounds in bottom sediments from a PCB polluted bay. To overcome difficulties in pinpointing toxicants in complex environmental samples we applied a bio-effect directed (BED) fractionation approach and investigated the relationships between aromaticity, teratogenicity, and aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) mediated toxicity. Hepatic ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) activities and malformations were investigated in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) larvae exposed by injecting sediment extract and fractions (separated by their degree of aromaticity) thereof into newly fertilized eggs.

Biomagnification of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) studied in pike (Esox lucius), perch (Perca fluviatilis) and roach (Rutilus rutilus) from the Baltic Sea.

Pike, perch and roach from rural waters of the Baltic Sea were investigated for possible biomagnification of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). For this we used data on delta15N, weight and sex of the fish. We were able to separate body size effects from trophic position effects on biomagnification.

Gonad development and plasma steroid profiles by HRGC/HRMS during one reproductive cycle in reference and leachate-exposed female perch (Perca fluviatilis).

Endocrine processes were studied in reference female perch (Perca fluviatilis) from Lake Djursjön and in leachate-exposed females from Lake Molnbyggen during one reproductive cycle. A high-resolution gas chromatography/high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS) technique enabled the analysis of circulating sex steroids [progesterone (P), 17alpha-hydroxyprogesterone (17alpha-OHP), androstenedione (A), testosterone (T), estrone (E1), and 17beta-estradiol (E2)], the maturation-inducing hormone (MIH) 17alpha,20beta-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (17alpha,20beta-P), and glucocorticoids [11-deoxycortisol (11-DC) and cortisol]. Body and organ measurements, ratio of sexually mature (SM) females, and frequencies of body lesions, were also recorded.

Evaluation of sequentially-coupled POP fluxes estimated from simultaneous measurements in multiple compartments of an air-water-sediment system.

Bulk atmospheric deposition fluxes, air-water exchange fluxes, particle settling fluxes out of the upper water column, sediment trap fluxes in deep waters, and sediment burial fluxes of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were simultaneously measured in the Koster Fjord, eastern Skagerak, on the Swedish west coast. The aim of the study was to compare the magnitude and direction of the compound fluxes in the system in order to diagnose key fate processes. The PCB and PAH fluxes via net atmospheric deposition, settling particles out of the surface and through deep waters, as well as into the accreting underlying sediments were shown to be remarkably similar, agreeing within a factor of a few for any given target compound.

Flux estimates and sedimentation of polychlorinated naphthalenes in the northern part of the Baltic Sea.

The concentrations and fluxes of polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) were measured in surface sediments, and settling particulate matter collected in sediment traps, at two coastal and two offshore sampling stations in the Gulf of Bothnia, northern Baltic Sea, Sweden. The PCN concentrations (of tetra- to hepta-chloro congeners) in the surface sediments ranged from 0.27 to 2.

PCBs, PCNs, PCDD/Fs, PAHs and Cl-PAHs in air and water particulate samples--patterns and variations.

Methodology for the determination of biologically active polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), non-ortho PCBs, polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was used to investigate concentrations and patterns of certain chlorinated PAH (Cl-PAH) in source related samples using synthetic reference mixtures. Thus, in addition to the above mentioned compounds, mono-heptachlorosubstituted fluorenes, phenanthrenes/anthracenes and pyrenes/fluoranthenes (Cl-PAHs) were measured in vapour and particulate air samples from urban road tunnels, samples of settling particulate matter (SPM), and in bottom sediment samples from two point source locations (pulp and paper, and Mg-plant/Fe-Mn-smelter/chlor-alkali) and in the Baltic Sea. Concentrations in air samples followed: PAHs>PCBs>PCNs>non-ortho PCBs or Cl-PAHs>PCDD/Fs.

Polychlorinated naphthalene levels, distribution, and biomagnification in a benthic food chain in the Baltic Sea.

The scientific literature contains little information regarding bioaccumulation and biomagnification of polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) in food webs. Here we present new information on the food chain transfer of PCNs within a food chain in a subarctic environment PCNs (tetra- to hepta-chloro congeners) were measured in surface sediments and in a marine benthic food chain, comprising amphipods, isopods, and fourhorned sculpins. Samples were collected from five locations in the Gulf of Bothnia, northern Baltic Sea.