Revised Temporal Trends of Persistent Organic Pollutant Concentrations in Air around the Great Lakes

Salamova, Amina; Venier, Marta; Hites, Ronald A.

doi:10.1021/acs.estlett.5b00003

Cited by 38 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…As expected, the outdoor concentrations were lower than reported for larger metropolitan areas. 34–39 The outdoor air profiles are similar among the samples and their sources appear to be a mixture of Aroclors and modern pigment (PCB 11). The air profile most closely resembles Aroclor 1254 but also shows contributions from 1016, 1242, and 1248 (Table S1).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 93%

Emissions of Tetrachlorobiphenyls (PCBs 47, 51, and 68) from Polymer Resin on Kitchen Cabinets as a Non-Aroclor Source to Residential Air

Herkert

Jahnke

Hornbuckle

2018

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Both Aroclor and non-Aroclor sources of airborne polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were found in residential homes. We deployed passive air samplers at 16 residences and found PCB-47, PCB-51, and PCB-68 to account for up to 50% of measured indoor ΣPCBs (2700 pg m). Although PCB-47 and PCB-51 are neurotoxins present in Aroclor mixtures (<2.5 and <0.3 wt %, respectively), we found them at much higher levels than expected for any Aroclor source. PCB-68 is not present in Aroclor mixtures. Another non-Aroclor congener, PCB-11, a byproduct of pigment manufacturing, was found inside and outside of every household and was frequently the predominate congener. We conducted direct measurements of surface emissions and identified finished cabinetry to be a major source of PCB-47, PCB-51, and PCB-68. We hypothesize that these congeners are inadvertent byproducts of polymer sealant manufacturing and produced from the decomposition of 2,4-dichlorobenzoyl peroxide used as an initiator in free-radical polymerization of polyester resins. The presence of these three compounds in polymer products, such as silicone, has been widely noted, but to our knowledge they have never been shown to be a significant environmental source of PCBs.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 93%

Emissions of Tetrachlorobiphenyls (PCBs 47, 51, and 68) from Polymer Resin on Kitchen Cabinets as a Non-Aroclor Source to Residential Air

Herkert

Jahnke

Hornbuckle

2018

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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“…The chemical masses were measured in our laboratory for the Chicago study, and the concentrations for the Chicago IADN Hi-Vol samples were provided by Dr. Ronald A. Hites. 19 The chemical masses on the PUF and concentrations on the Hi-Vols were published by Chaemfa et al for the Lancaster study, 26 and were provided by Dr. Lisa Melymuk for the Toronto study. 13 In the case of Chicago, the weather data was downloaded for the Chicago O’Hare Airport (ORD).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Model Using Local Weather Data to Determine the Effective Sampling Volume for PCB Congeners Collected on Passive Air Samplers

Herkert

Martínez

Hornbuckle

2016

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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We have developed and evaluated a mathematical model to determine the effective sampling volumes (Veff) of PCBs and similar compounds captured using polyurethane foam passive air samplers (PUF–PAS). We account for the variability in wind speed, air temperature, and equilibrium partitioning over the course of the deployment of the samplers. The model, provided as an annotated Matlab script, predicts the Veff as a function of physical-chemical properties of each compound and meteorology from the closest Integrated Surface Database (ISD) data set obtained through NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). The model was developed to be user-friendly, only requiring basic Matlab knowledge. To illustrate the effectiveness of the model, we evaluated three independent data sets of airborne PCBs simultaneously collected using passive and active samplers: at sites in Chicago, Lancaster, UK, and Toronto, Canada. The model provides Veff values comparable to those using depuration compounds and calibration against active samplers, yielding an average congener specific concentration method ratio (active/passive) of 1.1 ± 1.2. We applied the model to PUF–PAS samples collected in Chicago and show that previous methods can underestimate concentrations of PCBs by up to 40%, especially for long deployments, deployments conducted under warming conditions, and compounds with log Koa values less than 8.

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“…This is what we observed for PCBs, which were banned in 1976; the atmospheric levels of PCBs at the five Great Lakes sites are now all decreasing at the same rate. 20 Unlike Cleveland, the atmospheric concentrations of BDE-209 are not significantly changing (one way or the other) at Chicago, Sleeping Bear Dunes, or Eagle Harbor. 17 As BDE-209 was only recently removed from the market, it may be too early to see the full effect (if any) of this market shift.…”

Section: Accounts Of Chemical Researchmentioning

confidence: 98%

Halogenated Flame Retardants in the Great Lakes Environment

2015

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Flame retardants are widely used industrial chemicals that are added to polymers, such as polyurethane foam, to prevent them from rapidly burning if exposed to a small flame or a smoldering cigarette. Flame retardants, especially brominated flame retardants, are added to many polymeric products at percent levels and are present in most upholstered furniture and mattresses. Most of these chemicals are so-called "additive" flame retardants and are not chemically bound to the polymer; thus, they migrate from the polymeric materials into the environment and into people. As a result, some of these chemicals have become widespread pollutants, which is a concern given their possible adverse health effects. Perhaps because of their environmental ubiquity, the most heavily used group of brominated flame retardants, the polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), was withdrawn from production and use during the 2004-2013 period. This led to an increasing demand for other flame retardants, including other brominated aromatics and organophosphate esters. Although little is known about the use or production volumes of these newer flame retardants, it is evident that some of these chemicals are also becoming pervasive in the environment and in humans. In this Account, we describe our research on the occurrence of halogenated and organophosphate flame retardants in the environment, with a specific focus on the Great Lakes region. This Account starts with a short introduction to the first generation of brominated flame retardants, the polybrominated biphenyls, and then presents our measurements of their replacement, the PBDEs. We summarize our data on PBDE levels in babies, bald eagles, and in air. Once these compounds came off the market, we began to measure several of the newer flame retardants in air collected on the shores of the Great Lakes once every 12 days. These new measurements focus on a tetrabrominated benzoate, a tetrabrominated phthalate, a hexabrominated diphenoxyethane, several brominated benzenes, and a highly chlorinated norbornene compound called Dechlorane Plus. Most recently, we have begun measuring the atmospheric concentrations of several organophosphate esters, which are an increasing part of the flame retardant market. The interesting feature of this story is how one compound or set of compounds has followed another out of and into the marketplace even though none of them have been officially regulated. This replacement of one commercial product by another with similar functions shows that the chemical industry does respond to scientific environmental measurements and to the resulting bad publicity. This is a good thing. The problem is that often the replacement chemicals also become environmentally ubiquitous.

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Revised Temporal Trends of Persistent Organic Pollutant Concentrations in Air around the Great Lakes

Cited by 38 publications

References 19 publications

Emissions of Tetrachlorobiphenyls (PCBs 47, 51, and 68) from Polymer Resin on Kitchen Cabinets as a Non-Aroclor Source to Residential Air

Emissions of Tetrachlorobiphenyls (PCBs 47, 51, and 68) from Polymer Resin on Kitchen Cabinets as a Non-Aroclor Source to Residential Air

A Model Using Local Weather Data to Determine the Effective Sampling Volume for PCB Congeners Collected on Passive Air Samplers

Halogenated Flame Retardants in the Great Lakes Environment

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