Local Sources of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB) in Russian and Norwegian Settlements on Spitsbergen Island, Norway

The invertebrate fauna of anthropogenic soils in the High-Arctic settlement of Barentsburg, Svalbard

“…However, soil pollution levels, for example, PCB 7 (polychlorinated biphenyl) and the insecticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), in Barentsburg are generally high (Jartun et al 2009). In the area sampled, PCB 7 levels are up to 0.5 mg/kg (Geological Survey of Norway 2010) and the pollution report publicised by the Russian Federal Service of Hyrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring (FSHEM 2009) found DDT levels of 1.3 mg/g in soils close to the cowsheds.…”

Building Materials: An Important Source for Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) in Urban Soils

“…In Norwegian studies, PCB 7 concentrations up to a few milligrams per kilogram have been found in general urban geochemistry projects. The highest concentration detected in soils in the Norwegian surveys has been found on Svalbard in the Arctic, suggesting that local, active sources of PCBs are important in that area in addition to the LRAT (Jartun et al, 2009b). Detailed studies of buildings have revealed PCB 7 concentrations up to 3500 mg/kg in samples of paint and 68 000 mg/kg (6.8%) in samples of sealants.…”

Case study of a non-destructive treatment method for the remediation of military structures containing polychlorinated biphenyl contaminated paint

“…Due to their chemical and physical properties, PCBs were often additives in industrial, maritime, and military materials including caulking, iron pipe coatings, and paint (Jartun et al, 2008). PCB congeners can be detected in water, air, and soil despite their predominate use in synthetic materials (Hu et al, 2008;Jartun et al, 2009). The mobility of PCBs in the environment is evidenced by contamination detected in industrial and rural habitats, including the arctic despite its isolation (Cornelissen et al, 2008;Jartun et al, 2008;Kalinovich et al, 2008Kalinovich et al, , 2012.…”

“…The mobility of PCBs in the environment is evidenced by contamination detected in industrial and rural habitats, including the arctic despite its isolation (Cornelissen et al, 2008;Jartun et al, 2008;Kalinovich et al, 2008Kalinovich et al, , 2012. PCBs in marine environments can originate from onshore sources including military sites which warrant specific concern given their frequent coastal location (Jartun et al, 2009;Kuzyk et al, 2005;Poland et al, 2001).…”

“…Building materials are of particular interest because they are a major point source for PCBs (Herrick et al, 2007(Herrick et al, , 2004Jartun et al, 2009). Paint, for example, does not make up a large volume of contaminated material, but its large surface area and potential to spread to other areas through runoff pose a serious threat to the environment and human health (Hu and Hornbuckle, 2010;Jartun et al, 2008).…”