The distribution of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) in the River Thames Catchment under the scenarios of climate change

Lu, Qiong and Johnson, Andrew C. and Juergens, Monika D. and Sweetman, Andrew and Jin, Li and Whitehead, Paul (2015) The distribution of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) in the River Thames Catchment under the scenarios of climate change. Science of the Total Environment, 533. pp. 187-195. ISSN 0048-9697

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Abstract

Measurements have shown low levels of PCBs in water but relatively high concentrations in the resident fish of the River Thames (UK). To better understand the distribution and behaviour of PCBs in the Thames river basin and their potential risks, a level III fugacity model was applied to selected PCB congeners (PCB 52, PCB 118 and PCB 153). The modelling results indicated that fish and sediments represent environmental compartments with the highest PCB concentrations; but the greatest mass of PCBs (over 70%) is likely to remain in the soil. As emissions decline, soil could then act as a significant secondary source of PCBs with the river bed-sediment functioning as a long-term reservoir of PCBs. The predicted changes in temperature and rainfall forecast in the UK Climate Projections 2009 (UKCP09) over the next 80 years had only a modest influence on PCB fate in the model. The most significant result was a tendency for climate change to enhance the evaporation of PCBs from soil to air in the Thames catchment. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Science of the Total Environment
Additional Information:
This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Science of the Total Environment. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Science of the Total Environment, 533, 2016 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.06.084
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2300/2304
Subjects:
?? pcbsfugacityriver thamesclimate changefishpersistent organic pollutantsmass-balancehydrocarbons pahsrisk-assessmentukmodelfatefuturepopsfishenvironmental chemistrypollutionenvironmental engineeringwaste management and disposal ??
ID Code:
81149
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
24 Aug 2016 08:10
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
06 Feb 2024 00:46