Local sources of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) in Russian and Norwegian settlements on Spitsbergen Island, Norway.

Samples of surface soil, flaking paint, concrete, transformer oils, and small capacitors were collected from the three largest coal-mining settlements on Spitsbergen--Barentsburg (Russian), Pyramiden (Russian), and Longyearbyen (Norwegian)--to study the role of potential local sources of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) in the arctic areas (78 degrees N). Median concentrations of PCB7 in soil from Barentsburg and Pyramiden were 0.268 and 0.

Painted surfaces--important sources of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) contamination to the urban and marine environment.

A study of a large number of samples of flaking old paint from various buildings in Bergen, Norway (N=68) suggests that paint may be the most important contemporary source of PCBs in this urban environment with concentrations of PCB(7) up to 3.39 g/kg. Twenty-three of the samples were collected from a single building, and the concentrations were found to vary over 3 orders of magnitude.

Runoff of particle bound pollutants from urban impervious surfaces studied by analysis of sediments from stormwater traps.

Runoff sediments from 68 small stormwater traps around the harbor of urban Bergen, Norway, were sampled and the concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), heavy metals, and total organic carbon (TOC) were determined in addition to grain size. Our study provides empirical data from a large area in the interface between the urban and marine environment, studying the active transport of pollutants from land-based sources. The results of the analyses clearly demonstrate the importance of the urban environment representing a variety of contamination sources, and that stormwater runoff is an important dispersion mechanism of toxic pollutants.

Lead and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in surface soil from day care centres in the city of Bergen, Norway.

Surface soil (0-2cm) quality in 87 day care centres in the city of Bergen, Norway has been studied. Approximately 45% of the day care centres contained Pb and PAH values above recommended action levels. There are clear variations between different areas of the city.

The influence of a city on element contents of a terrestrial moss (Hylocomium splendens).

Forty terrestrial moss (Hylocomium splendens) samples were collected along a 120-km-long south-north transect running through Norway's largest city Oslo. Concentrations of 29 chemical elements (Ag, Al, Au, Ba, Bi, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, K, La, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, P, Pb, Pt, S, Sb, Sr, Th, Ti, and Zn) and values for loss on ignition (475 degrees C) are reported. Silver (Ag), Al, Au, Bi, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mo, Ni, Pb, Pt, Sb, Th, Ti, and Zn all show a characteristic Oslo peak when element concentrations are plotted against location of the sample site along the transect.