Global Distribution and Local Impacts of Inadvertently Generated Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Pigments

Abstract

The non-Aroclor congener 3,3'-dichlorobiphenyl (PCB 11) has been recently detected in air, water, sediment, and biota. It has been known since at least the 1970s that this congener is produced inadvertently during the production of certain organic pigments. PCB 11 was previously measured at parts-per-billion (ppb) levels in various printed materials obtained in the US. In this work, PCB 11 was detected in samples of common consumer goods including magazines, advertisements, maps, postcards, brochures, napkins, and garments from 26 countries in five continents at concentrations ranging from 0.27 to 86 ppb. Leaching tests confirmed that PCB 11 could be released from these materials into water. We also examined whether the known sources of PCB 11 were large enough to account for the levels of PCB 11 measured in the air, water, soil and sediment of the Delaware River Basin. A mass flow analysis suggests that the outflows and sequestration of PCB 11 in the basin total between 30 and 280 kg y(-1). If PCB 11 concentrations in pigments were at the maximum average (125 ppm) allowed under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the estimated input of PCB 11 to the Delaware River Basin would be on the order of 42 kg y(-1). Despite the large uncertainty in these numbers, the results suggest that pigments may plausibly account for the levels of PCB 11 measured in the environment.

Recognizing different impacts of human and natural sources on the spatial distribution and temporal trends of PAHs and PCBs (including PCB-11) in sediments of the Nador Lagoon (Morocco)

“…Relatively little is known about the toxicity of CB-11: as it is not substituted in the ortho-positions, it may exhibit dioxin-like toxicity (Rodenburg et al, 2010). However, measured concentrations in the Nador Lagoon are similar to those detected in other low impacted areas (Romano et al, 2013;Guo et al, 2014) and well below the limit of 50 ng g −1 set by the EU Directive 89/677/EEC for PCBs in pigments.…”

Chemometric Analysis for Pollution Source Assessment of Harbour Sediments in Arctic Locations

“…cable insulation, thermal insulation materials, paint, plastics, transformers, hydraulic oil; produced before the production and use of PCB was prohibited on a global scale more than 10 years ago. In addition, several studies have revealed inadvertent production of PCB congeners in the manufacturing of paint pigments (Anezaki and Nakano, 2014;Guo et al, 2014;Hu and Hornbuckle, 2009;Shang et al, 2014).…”

Microbial Dechlorination of Polychlorinated Biphenyls, Dibenzo-p-dioxins, and -furans at the Portland Harbor Superfund Site, Oregon, USA

“…This investigation revealed that Portland Harbor, like the NY/NJ Harbor and the Delaware River, is impacted by PCB 11 generated inadvertently during production of organic pigments and dispersed throughout the environment by the use of such pigments in printed material, paints, etc. 26,27,29 Various data sources suggest that many other US waterways are impacted by PCBs from pigments, including the Santa Fe and Rio Grande Rivers in New Mexico (STORET), San Francisco Bay (California Environmental Data Exchange Network; http://www.ceden.org/), and the Houston Ship Canal (Houston, TX). 39 In addition, investigations in three watersheds on both the east and west coasts of the US have now found evidence of microbial dechlorination of PCBs in compartments other than sediment, including groundwater, landfills, and sewers.…”