Assessment of POP Transport and Accumulation in the Environment

MSC-E/CCC Technical Report 7/2002

V.Shatalov, A.Malanichev, N.Vulykh, T.Berg, S.Mano

ABSTRACT

This Technical Report describes the progress in evaluation of benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) and dioxins/furans (PCDD/F) transport and pollution in the EMEP region.

Tentative evaluation of B[a]P transport between European countries was presented in [Shatalov et al., 2000; 2001]. At the present time the model is modified, i.e. description of wet deposition process is refined and the pollutant inflow from outside the EMEP region is introduced.

On the base of the modified model calculations of B[a]P long-range transport, "country-to-country" matrices for atmospheric concentrations and depositions as well as the evaluation of contamination levels in European countries for 1999 with spatial resolution 50x50 km are performed. For this purpose available official B[a]P emission data together with expert estimates are used.

At the previous stage of investigations, pilot calculation of PCDD/F long-range transport for the period 1970 - 98 was made.

Currently, congener composition of PCDD/F mixture in various media is investigated. Eight congeners reasonably describing PCDD/F toxicity in the environment are selected. It is shown that physical-chemical properties of one of them ("indicator congener") can be used for evaluation of PCDD/F transport and accumulation at the initial stages of investigations with reasonable accuracy. Development of PCDD/F transport model is continued. Main attention is paid to the refinement of the model description of exchange in the atmosphere/vegetation/soil system. Besides, degradation rate constants for the atmosphere and soil are refined.

On the basis of the modified model the evaluation of PCDD/F accumulation dynamics in environmental compartments for the period from 1970 to 1999 is performed and estimates of contamination levels in environmental media for 1999 are given. Calculations of the PCDD/F mixture were carried out on the properties of the "indicator congener". Available PCDD/F official emission data for the considered period together with expert estimates are used in calculations. Finally, the evaluation of media response time to an emission scenario reduction is made.

To refine the evaluation of PCDD/F long-range transport and accumulation in the forthcoming year it is planned to perform simulations of the mixture of eight selected congeners.

The analytical laboratory intercomparison on POP measurements is continued.