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Sedimentary records of non-Aroclor and Aroclor PCB mixtures in the Great Lakes
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Sedimentary records of non-Aroclor and Aroclor PCB mixtures in the Great Lakes

Dingfei Hu, Andres Martinez and Keri C Hornbuckle
Journal of Great Lakes Research, Vol.37(2), pp.359-364
2011
DOI: 10.1016/j.jglr.2011.03.001
PMCID: PMC3607302
PMID: 23538476
url
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/3607302View
Open Access

Abstract

Three sediment cores from Lake Ontario, Lake Erie and Indiana Harbor Ship Canal were collected, segmented and analyzed for Aroclor and non-Aroclor polychlorinated biphenyl congeners (PCBs). PCBs associated with the commercially produced Aroclor mixtures 1248 and 1254 dominate the sediment signal and the sum of all congeners (∑ PCB) peaks in concentration and accumulation around 1970 in the Great Lakes. This trend is very similar to Aroclor production history. In the Indiana Harbor Ship Canal, PCBs appear around 1935 and remain at very high levels between 1940 and 1980, probably reflecting the history of use at the nearby steel mill. In contrast, the non-Aroclor PCBs in the Lake Ontario and IHSC sediment cores, including PCB11 and heavily chlorinated congeners PCB206, 207, 208 and 209 reach a peak in the 1950s, decline and peak again in the 1970s or in the early 1980s. All five congeners have been previously measured in commercial paint pigment. PCB11 was found to peak about 5 years later than ∑ PCBs, and is probably associated with the production or use history of diarylide yellow pigments. The temporal distribution profiles of these non-Aroclor PCBs are well correlated with the production history of paint pigments and dyes. Although it is well known that the production of Aroclor PCBs is preserved in Great Lakes sediments, this study is the first to show that production of non-Aroclors are also preserved in the sediments as a record of long term trends in environmental exposure. ► Non-Aroclor PCB congeners (e.g., PCBs11, 206, 207, 208, 209) were detected in the sediments. ► Non-Aroclor PCB congeners have a different source from ΣPCBs. ► ΣPCB concentration trends reflect manufacture and use of commercial Aroclor mixtures. ► Local use of Aroclors is preserved in the sediments. ► The production of pigments and dyes matches the accumulation of inadvertent PCB congeners.
 PCB 207 PCB 208 PCB 209 PCB 11 Sediment Pigments Paints PCB 206

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