A study of the spatial distribution and mixture of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in pine needles sampled across the U.K. in the summer of 1994 is presented. PAHs reach pine needles via atmospheric transport and deposition processes. Phenanthrene was distributed irregularly across the U.K., while the other PAHs generally decreased on a northward gradient from the southern England to northern Scotland by a factor of ∼7. A relationship was found between the mean PAH concentrations of each area sampled and the population density. Fingerprint technique enabled differences in the PAH composition among the different areas to be highlighted. A southern, central, and northern fingerprint were determined over a more general uniform contamination pattern. Calculated air concentrations, through bioconcentration factors (BCF) based on octanol-air partition coefficients (K oa ), were compared with measured data from the literature. The underestimation of the calculated values were related to the K oa of each compound, indicating that for log K oa values >8-9, K oa -based BCFs do not correctly predict mean air concentrations.

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Pesticides are currently used inside hives, against the honeybee parasite Varroa destructor, producing unwanted contamination effects. To assess the distribution and fate of one of these pesticides (coumaphos), two experimental hives were treated with Perizin (the commercial product containing the active ingredient coumaphos). Samples of honey, wax, pollen, adult bees and larvae taken before treatment and up to 104 days afterwards, showed diffuse contamination. Wood hedges and wax bridges, where the pesticide solution was applied, were analysed as well. A mass balance was calculated, yielding a recovered amount of around 60% just after treatment and 38% 1 month later. Directly contaminated surfaces and wax contained the highest amount of residues. Wax and honey contained different amounts (10, and 0.1% respectively) but both retained residues for long time. Bees ingest most of the product just after treatment, then rapidly eliminate it by metabolism, advection and deposition processes. On the basis of analytical results, a simple model (level I of the fugacity model) was applied to the hive system for different pesticides (coumaphos, malathion, fluvalinate and bromopropylate). Predicted concentrations in wax and honey were compared with those measured, indicating the good predictive capability of this approach.

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Several monitoring studies have shown that benzoylecgonine (BE) is the main illicit drug residue commonly measured in the aquatic system worldwide. Few studies have investigated the potential toxicity of this molecule towards invertebrate and vertebrate aquatic non-target organisms focusing on effects at low levels of the biological organization, but no one has assessed the consequences at higher ones. Thus, the present study was aimed at investigating the toxicity of a 48-h exposure to two concentrations of BE, similar to those found in aquatic ecosystems (0.5 μg/L and 1.0 μg/L), on the cladoceran Daphnia magna at different levels of the ecological hierarchy. We relied on a multi-level approach focusing on the effects at biochemical/biomolecular (biomarkers), individual (swimming activity) and population (reproduction) levels. We measured the amount of reactive oxygen species and of the activity of antioxidant (SOD, CAT, and GPx) and detoxifying (GST) enzymes to assess if BE exposure can alter the oxidative status of D. magna specimens, while the lipid peroxidation (TBARS) was measured as a marker of oxidative damage. Moreover, we also measured the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity because it is strictly related to behavioral changes in aquatic organisms. Changes in swimming behavior were investigated by a video tracking analysis, while the consequences on reproduction were assessed by a chronic toxicity test. Our results showed that BE concentrations similar to those found in aquatic ecosystems induced oxidative stress and inhibited AChE activity, affecting swimming behavior and the reproduction of Daphnia magna individuals.

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POPs are still a priority environmental problem, but can be used as a scientific tool for understanding the distribution phenomena. Both high mountains and polar areas are seen as priority zones for contamination studies. In this context, two altitudinal series of soil samples were analysed for several classes of Persistent Organic Pollutants (PCBs, DDTs, HCHs, HCB and chlordane). Two transects were carried outone in the Peruvian Andes (Cordillera Blanca) and the other in the Italian Alps (Mount Legnone). In these two areas, POP composition and levels both gave different results, linked to regional emission history. The Italian samples were characterized by high levels of industrial type compounds, and by surprisingly high DDT contamination, due to a defined consistent local source in Northern Italy. The Peruvian samples, on the other hand, were characterized by generally low POP levels with relatively high DDT contamination. The concentration increase in line with elevation was evident only in the Italian transect, where higher precipitation intensities and an increasingly higher precipitation gradient in accordance with altitude was found present. Precipitations are considered a key factor for enhancing the condensation effect at high altitudes and for reducing summer revolatilisation, as they lower soil temperature. In the Italian altitudinal gradient, evidence of fractionation processes, with a shift of the PCB composition towards less chlorinated congeners, and a vegetation effect with a mean woodland/grassland enrichment factor between 2 and 4 were also observed.