engleski

Distribution of organochlorine compounds in pine needles collected on Croatian mountains

Levels of 20 PCBs congeners and OCPs (HCB, alpha-, beta-, gamma-HCH, DDE, DDD, DDT) in one- and two-year-old pine needles from Croatian mountains were determined and compared with PCBs and OCPs levels in pine needles from urban and semi-urban sites from a study conducted in 1998. OCPs, PCB-118 and six indicator PCBs were found in all analysed samples, and they ranged between 0.02 ng/g and 8.98 ng/g. Other PCBs congeners were not found in all samples, and they ranged between the determination limit and 1.15 ng/g. In both generations of needles, concentration medians followed the same order. Median values of alpha-HCH/gamma-HCH and DDE/DDT ratios were lower than 1. Geographic distribution shows differences in OCPs and PCBs levels between sampling locations. Pine needles from mountains along the Adriatic coast contained higher OCPs and PCBs levels than pine needles from the mountains of inland Croatia. The pattern for OCPs differed between mountain (this study) and urban sites (previous study) while the pattern of PCBs was similar. In mountain pine needles, beta-HCH was present in the highest level and DDT levels were higher than DDE and DDD levels, in contrast to the levels found in urban pine needles.

PCBs; OCPs; coniferous; pollution; POPs; bioindicators

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