Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Evidence for a decline of PCBs and PAHs in rural vegetation and air in the United Kingdom.
AU - Jones, K. C.
AU - Sanders, G.
AU - Wild, S. R.
AU - Burnett, V.
AU - Johnston, A. E.
PY - 1992
Y1 - 1992
N2 - RELIABLE data on persistent organic contaminants in the environment are needed to evaluate strategies to limit their dispersal. Long-term data are often not available, however, because the chemicals in question were not routinely analysed in the past. Although attempts have been made to assess temporal trends by analysis of environmental samples deposited in discrete or identifiable layers (in sediment or peat cores)1–3, these media may be disturbed in situ or give poor temporal resolution, or the contaminants may be subject to post-depositional changes. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are persistent and toxic4–9 contaminants for which no long-term global ambient monitoring data exist. Plant foliage is a reliable monitor of ambient levels of vapour-phase compounds in air10–16 and here we present an analysis of archived herbage samples (1965–89) which shows that air concentrations of lower chlorinated PCBs in rural England have decreased by up to a factor of 50 between 1965–69 and 1985–89. High-molecular-weight PCBs and PAHs have also decreased in concentration, but not to such a great extent.
AB - RELIABLE data on persistent organic contaminants in the environment are needed to evaluate strategies to limit their dispersal. Long-term data are often not available, however, because the chemicals in question were not routinely analysed in the past. Although attempts have been made to assess temporal trends by analysis of environmental samples deposited in discrete or identifiable layers (in sediment or peat cores)1–3, these media may be disturbed in situ or give poor temporal resolution, or the contaminants may be subject to post-depositional changes. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are persistent and toxic4–9 contaminants for which no long-term global ambient monitoring data exist. Plant foliage is a reliable monitor of ambient levels of vapour-phase compounds in air10–16 and here we present an analysis of archived herbage samples (1965–89) which shows that air concentrations of lower chlorinated PCBs in rural England have decreased by up to a factor of 50 between 1965–69 and 1985–89. High-molecular-weight PCBs and PAHs have also decreased in concentration, but not to such a great extent.
KW - Pollutant behavior
KW - Rural area
KW - Vegetation
KW - Foliage
KW - Polychlorobiphenyl
KW - Polycyclic aromatic compound
KW - Air pollution
KW - Chemical concentration
KW - United Kingdom
KW - Above ground plant part
KW - Europe
KW - Chemical pollution
KW - Organic compounds
KW - Pollutant
U2 - 10.1038/356137a0
DO - 10.1038/356137a0
M3 - Journal article
VL - 356
SP - 137
EP - 140
JO - Nature
JF - Nature
IS - 6365
ER -