Distribution of Organochlorine Compounds in Pine Needles Collected in Zagreb

Abstract

The distribution of polychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine pesticides was investigated in one- and two-year-old pine needles collected at eight locations in Zagreb in 2006. Concentration medians for most analyzed compounds in two-year-old needles were higher or similar to the concentration medians of the same compounds in one-year-old needles, with the exception of PCB-28, PCB-52, PCB-153, and PCB-138. The pollution profiles seems to have remained the same over the 2 years. These results were compared to those obtained in samples collected at the same locations in 1998.

Organochlorine Compounds in Pine Needles from Croatia

“…In respect with different sampling year and fact that OCPs and PCBs use has been banned for long (also in Croatia), it could be expected some decreasing trend of organochlorine levels, but that was not observed. This is in agreement with results obtained in two previous studies (Kožul and Herceg Romanić 2008;Herceg Romanić and Krauthacker 2004) when levels of organochlorine compounds are not decreasing over the 8 years period, on the contrary, the levels of some organochlorine compounds have increased.…”

“…The analytical procedure has been described by Kožul and Herceg Romanić (2008). Briefly, dried ground needles (5 g) were mixed with dichloromethane (20 mL) in a Teflon PFA extraction vessel and extracted using the Microwave Accelerated Reaction System for Extraction MarsX (CEM, USA) at 1,200 W and 40°C for 15 min.…”

“…In previous studies we investigated evels and distribution of PCBs and OCPs in pine needles from Croatian mountains (Herceg Romanić and Krauthacker 2008) and urban and semi-urban cities Krauthacker 2004, 2006;Kožul and Herceg Romanić 2008). In this study, we collected 1-and 2-years old pine needles along Adriatic coast in Croatia in order to determine their load with PCBs and OCPs.…”

Olive tree, Olea europaea L., leaves as a bioindicator of atmospheric PCB contamination

“…However, the PCB levels measured in spruce/pine needles, a widely employed bioindicator with cuticular wax, are worth mentioning. The concentrations were generally low (<1 ng/g) for measured individual congeners at remote sites (PCB-28, 52, 101, 138, 153, and 180;Klánová et al 2009) and in a background area in Czech Republic (PCB-28, 52, and 101; Holoubek et al 2000), in Dalian, China (summation of PCBs with the same degree of chlorination; Chen et al 2006) and in Zagreb, Croatia (17 of 20 PCB congeners; Kožul and Romanić 2008). The concentrations were generally >1 ng/g for PCB-28, 52, and 60 in Zagreb, Croatia (Kožul and Romanić 2008), and for 52,60,74,101,138, and 153 along the Adriatic coast, Croatia (Romanić and Klinčić 2012); up to 50 ng/g for total PCBs in heavily industrialized and populated areas of Poland (Falandysz et al 2012;Wyrzykowska et al 2007); up to 270 ng/g with an average of 93 ng/g for Σ 15 PCBs in Beijing, China (Xu et al 2004); and up to 128 ng/g for total PCBs around a hazardous waste incinerator in Canada (Blais et al 2003).…”

“…Vegetation has been used as bioindicators of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the atmosphere (Blais et al 2003;Chen et al 2006;Eriksson et al 1989;Holoubek et al 2000;Klánová et al 2009;Kožul and Romanić 2008;Mast et al 2012;Tato et al 2011;Wyrzykowska et al 2007), which includes grass, tree bark, leaves of an Australian native tree (Melaleuca leucadendra), spruce needles, pine needles, and lichens/mosses. The last two have been the most preferred ones.…”