Surface Partitioning in Organic-Inorganic Mixtures Contributes to the Size-Dependence of the Phase-State of Atmospheric Nanoparticles.

Atmospheric particulate matter is one of the main factors governing the Earth's radiative budget, but its exact effects on the global climate are still uncertain. Knowledge on the molecular-scale surface phenomena as well as interactions between atmospheric organic and inorganic compounds is necessary for understanding the role of airborne nanoparticles in the Earth system. In this work, surface composition of aqueous model systems containing succinic acid and sodium chloride or ammonium sulfate is determined using a novel approach combining X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, surface tension measurements and thermodynamic modeling.

Extensive organohalogen contamination in wildlife from a site in the Yangtze River Delta.

The environmental and human health concerns for organohalogen contaminants (OHCs) extend beyond the 23 persistent organic pollutants (POPs) regulated by the Stockholm Convention. The current, intense industrial production and use of chemicals in China and their bioaccumulation makes Chinese wildlife highly suitable for the assessment of legacy, novel and emerging environmental pollutants. In the present study, six species of amphibians, fish and birds were sampled from paddy fields in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) were screened for OHCs.

Polychlorinated naphthalenes in Swedish background air.

Polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) with four to eight chlorines were studied in air collected at two background stations in Sweden, one southerly and one northerly. Air was sampled with a high-volume sampler, and gas-phase adsorbents and filters were analyzed separately. The sum of TeCNs to HxCNs in the gaseous phase ranged between 1 and 10 pg/m3 with significantly higher concentrations at the southern location Hoburgen.

Distribution of Polychlorinated Naphthalene Congeners inEnvironmental and Source-Related Samples.

Polychlorinated naphthalene (CN) congener profiles inenvironmental and source related samples were compared graphically and byprincipal component analysis. Samples investigated included biological,sediment, water, and air samples, technical polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)and polychlorinated naphthalene (PCN) formulations, as well as municipalwaste incineration (MWI) fly ash and graphite electrode sludge. Biologicalsamples showed a preferential enrichment of planar, 1,3,5,7-substitutedtetra-, penta-, and hexachlorinated congeners and most of these samplesshowed profiles that displayed some similarity to those found in thetechnical PCB formulations.

Polychlorinated biphenyls, 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane (p,p'-DDT) and 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)-ethylene (p,p'-DDE) in human plasma related to fish consumption.

Fatty fish species, e.g., salmon and herring, in the Baltic Sea have high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane (p,p'-DDT), and its main metabolite: 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)-ethylene (p,p'-DDE).