North Atlantic polychlorinated biphenyls

J. Screitmiiller, K. Ballschmiter, Levels of polychlorinated biphenyls in the lower troposphere of the North- and South-Atlantic Ocean. Studies of global baseline pollution XVII, Fresenius J. Anal. Chem., 348 (1994), 226-239. 

Salama AA, Mohamed MAM, Duval B, et al. 1998. Polychlorinated biphenyl concentrations in raw and cooked North Atlantic bluefish (pomatomus saltatrix) fillets. J Agric Food Chem 46(4) 1359-1362. 

Europe. On the other hand, the input of PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and dieldrin is higher to the North Atlantic than the North Pacific, primarily because of their greater use in the continental regions adjacent to the North Atlantic. 

Harvey, G. A. and W. G. Steinhauer. 1974. Atmospheric transport of polychlorinated biphenyls to the North Atlantic. Atmos. Environ. 8 777-782. 

The ubiquity of PCBs is indicated by then-presence in environmental samples from the polar regions of air, snow, ice, water, and in living organisms. The presence of PCBs in such remote areas suggests the importance of atmospheric transport. The Committee on the Assessment of Polychlorinated Biphenyls in the Environment estimated that 50-80% of the PCBs derived from the United States were now in sediments and waters of the North Atlantic Ocean. Of the estimated total world PCB production of 1.2 million tons to date, about 374,000 tons are now in various portions of the terrestrial, coastal, and open ocean ecospheres (Table 25.1). Another 783,(XX) tons are still in use in electrical equipment and other products or deposited in landfills and dumps and represent a potential source of... 

Case study 1 Estimate the settling flux of particle bound polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the North Atlantic, knowing their concentrations in the particle phase. Assume general chlorophyll a concentrations and fluxes of organic carbon. This case study estimates the flux and MTC using Equations 17.4 and 17.5. 

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