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The paper presents experimental data on concentrations of a wide range of pollutants, including persistent organic pollutants (organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, toxaphenes), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and heavy metals, in soil and adjacent environments in the impact area of the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill (BPPM) and neighboring areas (including the city of Baikal'sk). The features of toxicants levels formation depending on a type and properties of soil, potential sources of inflow, and location of sampling points are analyzed. The data are of practical interest for assessing the levels of the natural environment pollution prior to starting measures for the disposal of waste from the BPPM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The OCP and PCB contents in the tissues of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) from the Russian Arctic have been studied for the first time. Skin and subcutaneous adipose tissue samples collected in the White, Kara, and Bering seas in 2012–2017 were analyzed for the animals of different age and sex (n = 22). 4,4'-DDE dominated among the OCPs analyzed; the main PCB congeners were PCB-138+PCB-158 and PCB-153 + PCB-168, which was also typical of other Arctic marine mammals. The highest concentrations and widest range of these compounds were found in beluga whales from the White Sea (4,4'-DDE: 3778.3 ± 4856.3 ng/g lipids; ranging as 33.2–16 007.8 ng/g lipids; PCB-138 + PCB-158: 1270.1 ± 1528.8 ng/g lipids; ranging as 127.6–4957.4 ng/g lipids; PCB-153 + PCB-168: 1144.1 ± 1230.2 ng/g lipids; ranging as 113.0–4515.2 ng/g lipids). The lowest concentration was found in the beluga whales from the Anadyr estuary of the Bering sea (4,4'-DDE: 1003.3 ± 1422.1 ng/g lipids; ranging as 186.0–3125.0 ng/g lipids; PCB-138 + PCB-158: 95.0 ± 99.2 ng/g lipids; ranging as 29.9–242.1 ng/g lipids; PCB-153 + PCB-168: 114.8 ± 118.8 ng/g lipids; ranging as 35.4–290.9 ng/g lipids). The biological parameters of the sampled animals, the features of PCB and OCP transport pathways, as well as regional environmental pollution, were considered the main reasons for the observed geographical variability of pollutant concentrations in beluga whales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experimental results of evaluating levels of air pollution with persistent organic pollutants (POPs) listed in the Stockholm Convention at Amderma and Tiksi stations in 2015–2017 are presented. The list of POPs includes polychlorinated biphenyls, organochlorine pesticides, and polybrominated diphenyl ethers. The ranges of the POP concentration are revealed and the statistical characteristics (mean, median) over the observation period are calculated. Based on the analysis of diagnostic ratios and temperature dependences, the features of global transport sources are considered. A wide range of variations in the concentration of POPs is shown that depends on environmental factors and the source type (local sources or global transport). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]