scholarly journals Main sources of unintentional production of persistent organic pollutants (the case of Odessa)

2018 ◽  
pp. 110-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. I. Mykhailenko ◽  
T. P. Shanina ◽  
T. A. Safranov

Persistent organic pollutants represent a serious global threat to human health and the environment. They have certain properties: resistance to decomposition, bioaccumulation, extreme toxicity, even at ultra-low concentrations, ability to transboundary transfer and deposition. Unfortunately, there is no separate normative and legislative base regulating production of persistent organic pollutants in Ukraine. All norms and rules regulating such pollutants formation are included in a large number of various legislative acts and this does not allow systematization and specification of the actions associated with treatment of POPs. The purpose of this work is to evaluate the main sources of unintentional formation of persistent organic pollutants (using Odessa as an example). As part of the study it was established that the main sources of unintentional formation of POPs in Odessa are: combustion of organic fuels by stationary and mobile sources; production of building materials; open landfills of solid household waste; smoking of meat and fish products; functioning of crematoria; tobacco smoking; functioning of the city sewage system. The analysis of the legislative base of Ukraine is carried out which resulted in making a conclusion that there is no separate normative and legislative base regulating production of persistent organic pollutants in Ukraine. For the first time the list of the main sources of unintentional formation of these pollutants was established for Odessa with estimation, using the most advanced European methods, of the mass of persistent organic pollutants formed from each type of above-stated production facilities, and estimation of the total mass of their generation over the territory of Odessa. Since different techniques give results in different units of measurement, a transition to one unit of measurement was performed. Based on the concept of maximum permissible concentration (MPC), the permissible number of molecules of POPs equivalent to 2,3,7,8- tetrachlorodibenzodioxin (TCDD) which can enter the body of one person through respiratory organs was calculated. A comparison with the number of molecules of 2,3,7,8-TCDD entering the atmosphere in a permissible quantity per 1 citizen of was carried out and corresponding conclusions based on calculations of unintentional formation of POPs in Odessa during one year were made. Also, based on the obtained results, priority sources of unintentional production of persistent organic pollutants were established which allows correct and timely implementation of appropriate measures to reduce formation of these polluting substances.

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are chemicals of global concern due to their ability to bio-magnify and bio-accumulate in ecosystems, persistence in the environment, potential for long-range transport, as well as their significant negative effects on human health and the environment. Ukraine is a part of Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants witch control the environmental pollution by these substances on international level. That is why Ukraine must take measures to regulate production of persistent organic pollutants accordingly to requirements of the Convention. Purpose. The full analyses of the current state of the POPs problem in Ukraine, by the example of Odessa in the following areas: analysis of the legislative framework and monitoring system of POPs; estimation of the use of equipment containing PCBs; identification of sources of unintentional formation of POPs, calculation of POPs production volumes using the most modern European methods; identification of priority sources of POPs release into the environment; general conclusions on the situation with POPs in Ukraine. Results. Conclusions regarding the legislative framework and monitoring system of the POPs in Ukraine were made, for the first time the volumes of unintentional formation of POPs in Odessa were calculated, the main sources of unintentional formation of these substances were established and ranked, the full analyses and general conclusions on the situation with POPs in Ukraine were made. Conclusions. In Ukraine, there is no separate legislative framework and monitoring system for POPs, which does not meet the requirements of the Stockholm Convention. The basic sources of unintentional formation of POPs are established in the work, such as: burning of organic fuel, construction, waste dumps, sewerage, smoking cigarettes, crematoria and smokehouses. The main source of PCDD/F into the environment is the dump of solid household waste in landfills, and the main source of PCB and HCB is the incineration of organic fuels by stationary sources. The existing methods do not give an opportunity to fully assess the negative impact of POPs on the environment.


Author(s):  
Anna-Karin Dahlberg ◽  
Anna Apler ◽  
Paul Frogner-Kockum ◽  
Gunnel Göransson ◽  
Ian Snowball ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose Numerous sites contaminated with fiber emissions from pulp and paper industries are found in coastal areas of the Baltic Sea, but there is limited knowledge about the magnitude of dispersal of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from these anthropogenic, organic-rich sediments called fiberbanks. The aim of this study was to quantify and compare different POP dispersal pathways from such fiberbanks. Dispersal mechanisms studied included abiotic and biotic routes (dissolved in water, particle-bound, and bioaccumulation). Materials and methods Contaminated fibrous sediments located in Ångermanälven River estuary in north-eastern Sweden were studied in sediment types representing different fiber content (i.e., fiberbanks, fiber-rich sediments, and less fiber impacted sediments). Sediment-to-water fluxes of dissolved contaminants (polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT)) were measured in situ using benthic flux chambers. Particle resuspension was measured by sampling bottom water, before and after disturbing the sediment surface. Benthic biota was collected to determine the body burden of contaminants and to determine biota-pore water accumulation factors (BAFPW) and biota-sediment accumulation factors (BSAFs). In addition, concentrations of dissolved POPs in the water column were measured in field using passive samplers. Instrumental analysis was performed using gas chromatography coupled to a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (GC-MS/MS). Results and discussion The flux of dissolved Σ20PCBs was approximately two times higher from one of the investigated fiberbanks (3.4 ng m− 2 day− 1) compared to the other. The average particle burden of PCBs was also higher at this fiberbank after artificial disturbance (15 ng g−1 particle), which indicates that larger amounts of contaminants are likely to disperse via particle resuspension from this site compared to the other fiberbank (4.8 ng g− 1 particle). The difference might be associated with a layer of recently settled minerogenic material that covers one of the fiberbanks, which probably functions as a protective barrier. The lack of benthic biota implies that contaminant release by bioturbation is negligible in the studied fiberbanks. However, benthic biota from fiber-rich sediment showed bioaccumulation and biomagnification of contaminants. Conclusions The importance of diffusive flux from fiberbanks under undisturbed conditions became apparent when the different dispersal pathways were quantified. However, no dispersal pathway could be judged as irrelevant, since even under undisturbed conditions, advective particle transport was significant. Additionally, the uptake by biota and trophic transfer can be considerable. Quantification of dispersal routes and understanding of the relative importance of various pathways is critical for proper risk assessment and management of contaminated sediments.


2018 ◽  
Vol 612 ◽  
pp. 129-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Therese Haugdahl Nøst ◽  
Anne Karine Halse ◽  
Martin Schlabach ◽  
Are Bäcklund ◽  
Sabine Eckhardt ◽  
...  

2014 ◽  
Vol 485-486 ◽  
pp. 377-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michel Lebeuf ◽  
Lena Measures ◽  
Michelle Noël ◽  
Meriem Raach ◽  
Steve Trottier

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tee L. Guidotti

On 16 October 1996, a malfunction at the Swan Hills Special Waste Treatment Center (SHSWTC) in Alberta, Canada, released an undetermined quantity of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) into the atmosphere, including polychlorinated biphenyls, dioxins, and furans. The circumstances of exposure are detailed in Part 1, Background and Policy Issues. An ecologically based, staged health risk assessment was conducted in two parts with two levels of government as sponsors. The first, called the Swan Hills Study, is described in Part 2. A subsequent evaluation, described here in Part 3, was undertaken by Health Canada and focused exclusively on Aboriginal residents in three communities living near the lake, downwind, and downstream of the SHSWTC of the area. It was designed to isolate effects on members living a more traditional Aboriginal lifestyle. Aboriginal communities place great cultural emphasis on access to traditional lands and derive both cultural and health benefits from “country foods” such as venison (deer meat) and local fish. The suspicion of contamination of traditional lands and the food supply made risk management exceptionally difficult in this situation. The conclusion of both the Swan Hills and Lesser Slave Lake studies was that although POPs had entered the ecosystem, no effect could be demonstrated on human exposure or health outcome attributable to the incident. However, the value of this case study is in the detail of the process, not the ultimate dimensions of risk. The findings of the Lesser Slave Lake Study have not been published previously and are incomplete.


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