Variations of Flame Retardant, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon, and Pesticide Concentrations in Chicago's Atmosphere Measured using Passive Sampling.

Atmospheric concentrations of flame retardants, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and pesticides were measured using passive air samplers equipped with polyurethane foam disks to find spatial information in and around Chicago, Illinois. Samplers were deployed around the greater Chicago area for intervals of 6 weeks from 2012 to 2013 (inclusive). Volumes were calculated using passive sampling theory and were based on meteorology and the compounds' octanol-air partition coefficients. Geometric mean concentrations of total polybrominated diphenyl ethers ranged from 11 to 150 pg/m3, and tributyl phosphate, tris(2-chloroethyl)phosphate, tris(1-chloro-2-propyl)phosphate, and triphenyl phosphate concentrations were in the ranges of 54-290, 32-340, 130-580, and 170-580 pg/m3, respectively. The summed concentrations of 16 PAHs ranged from 8700 to 52,000 pg/m3 over the sampling area, and DDT, chlordane, and endosulfan concentrations were in the ranges of 2.7-9.9, 8.2-66, and 16-85 pg/m3, respectively. Sampling sites were split into two groups depending on their distances from the Illinois Institute of Technology campus in Chicago. With a few exceptions, the concentrations of most compound groups in the city's center were the same or slightly higher than those measured >45 km away. The data also showed that the concentrations measured with a passive atmospheric sampling system are in good agreement with those measured with an active, high-volume, sampling system. Given that the sampling times are different (passive, 43 days; active, 1 day), and that both of these measured concentrations cover about 5 orders of magnitude, the agreement between these passive and active sampling methods is excellent.

Spatial distribution of chlordanes and PCB congeners in soil in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA.

Residential soils from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA were collected and analyzed for chlordanes and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). This study is one of the very few urban soil investigations in the USA. The chlordanes concentrations ranged from 0 to 7500 ng g(-1) dry weight (d.w.), with a mean and standard deviation of 130 ± 920 ng g(-1) d.w., which is about 1000 times larger than background levels. ΣPCB concentrations ranged from 3 to 1200 ng g(-1) d.w., with a mean and standard deviation of 56 ± 160 ng g(-1) d.w. and are about 10 times higher than world-wide background levels. Both groups exhibit considerable variability in chemical patterns and site-to-site concentrations. Although no measurements of dioxins were carried out, the potential toxicity due to the 12 dioxin-like PCBs found in the soil is in the same order of magnitude of the provisional threshold recommended by USEPA to perform soil remediation.