Influence of harbor contamination on the level and composition of polychlorinated biphenyls in produce in greater New Bedford, Massachusetts

Article Abstract:

Produce from the area around the New Bedford Harbor Superfund site in New Bedford, MA, were analyzed for polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners. Results with compared with those obtained from samples of produce from outside the state. Sediments at the New Bedford Harbor have high concentrations of PCBs Overall, PCB levels in produce fall within the range observed at local and out-of-state background site except for tomatoes grown during harbor dredging when fresh layers of contaminated sediment are exposed daily. These results affirm the view that PCB concentrations in plant tissue are influenced by atmospheric transport and gas-phase transfer.

Pollution, Food contamination, New Bedford, Massachusetts

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Enrichment of marine sediment colloids with polychlorinated biphenyls: trends resulting from PCB solubility and chlorination

Article Abstract:

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are toxic compounds widely found in marine environments due to the increased flux of wastes onto natural water systems. The transport and deposition of PCBs in marine sediments are affected by the presence of colloids. Using reverse-phase chromatography, it was shown that colloids-PCB interactions are highest at the particulate phase. The magnitude of colloids-PCB interactions increased with increasing PCB solubility, PCB chlorination and with increasing core depth.

Analysis, Pollutants, Colloids

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Comment on "Application of Permeant Polymer Diffusional Model to the Desorption of Polychlorinated Biphenyls from Hudson River Sediments." (comment on Kenneth M. Carroll and Mark R. Harkness, Environmental Science and Technology, vol. 28, p. 253, 1994)

Article Abstract:

The study modeled polychlorinated biphenyl desorption from contaminated sediments using a radial diffusion approach in which the labile and nonlabile phases were simulated as swollen and condensed polymers, respectively. The researchers should be commended for their use of variable diffusivities to justify experimental data. Such a study will undoubtedly encourage other modelers to enhance their use of experiments and calculations to determine diffusion coefficients and diffusional lengths.

Models, Marine pollution, Hudson River

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