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Polychlorinated biphenyl congeners in sediment cores from the Upper Mississippi River
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Polychlorinated biphenyl congeners in sediment cores from the Upper Mississippi River

Andres Martinez, Douglas J Schnoebelen and Keri C Hornbuckle
Chemosphere, Vol.144, pp.1943-1949
02/2016
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2015.10.090
PMCID: PMC4695299
PMID: 26547030
url
http://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2015.10.090View
Open Access

Abstract

We determined polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and radionuclide 137Cs in sediment cores from the Upper Mississippi River (UMR) and the Iowa River, Iowa, at their confluence. Vertical distribution of 137Cs indicated negligible mixing in the UMR core, while the Iowa River core showed signs of mixing. A clear 137Cs peak was found in the UMR core, which was correlated to 1963. The PCB vertical distribution in UMR core was similar to the historical trend in Aroclor production observed in Great Lakes cores, with a peak close to the 137Cs peak, suggesting a date near 1960. In general, PCB congener profiles in both cores resembled the Iowa soil background signal. We concluded that despite evidence of mixing in the Iowa River core, both cores retain the PCB signature of historical and regional environmental exposure. Further, our results indicate that this iconic waterway has a long history of PCBs that reflects national production and use. •Sediment cores were collected from the Upper Mississippi River (UMR).•PCB vertical distribution similar to Great Lakes, but peak time ca. 10 years earlier.•PCB congener profiles resembled the Iowa soil background PCB signal.•Chlordanes were not detected in the sediments.•Synthetic musk fragrances were found, but no trend was observed.
 Polychlorinated biphenyls Iowa River Upper Mississippi River 137Cs ISRP Project 4 2015-2020 Analytical Core

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