Search

Most persistent organic pollutants (POPs) were made for specific purposes due to certain characteristic and properties. They can cause various diseases and are problematic for the environment due to their high persistence and toxicity. This study attests the presence of three classes of POPs namely polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the upper urban soils of Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Soil samples were collected from 10 sampling points areas with heavy traffic. For determination of the compounds, gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry and with electron capture detector was used. The obtained results indicate a low level of pollution, the concentrations ranging between 8.83-184.92 ng/g for PAHs, 5.36-112.35 ng/g for PCBs, and 25.96-334.83 ng/g for OCPs. To identify the pollution emission sources, different PAHs and OCPs diagnostic ratios have been applied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method based on pressurized hot water extraction (PHWE), followed by solid phase extraction (SPE) coupled with solid phase microextraction (SPME) and determination by gas chromatography–electron capture detection (GC-ECD) was developed for determination of 19 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) (α-, β-, γ-, δ, ε-isomers of hexachlorocyclohexane, 4,4,-DDE, 2,4,-DDE, 4,4,-TDE, 2,4,-TDE, 2,4,-DDT and 4,4,-DDT, aldrin, dieldrin, heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide isomer A, heptachlor epoxide isomer B, α-endosulfan, β-endosulfan and hexachlorobenzene) in soil. The limits of detection were between 1.69 ng/kg for hexachlorobenzene and 50.4 ng/kg for 4,4'-DDT. The analytical method was applied for determination of OCPs in soil samples, collected in Cluj-Napoca area, Romania. Levels of OCPs were determined in five soil samples collected in rural area near Cluj-Napoca, Romania using the PHWE-SPE-SPME/GC-ECD method. OCPs were detected in all of the samples, with a total concentration ranging from 1.99 to 7.85 μg/kg. The most predominant compounds were HCH and DDT isomers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]