GAS-PARTICLE PARTITIONING OF POPS IN URBAN AIR FROM MADRID

Abstract

In present work the presence of several Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in ambient air samples from the city of Madrid (Spain) was evaluated, discriminating between gas phase (FG) and suspended particulate matter (MPS). High-volume active samplers (HVS) equipped with polyurethane foam and glass microfiber filters were used to collect samples. The major pollutants were polychlorinated biphenyls (104.6 ± 86.6 pg/Nm3, mean ± standard deviation), following in decreasing order by polybrominated diphenyl ethers (20.4 ± 11.6 pg/Nm3), dechlorane plus (0.8 ± 0.5 pg/Nm3) and finally by polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (0.3 ± 0.1 pg/Nm3). The results, in agreement with those obtained in other cities, not only confirm the presence of POPs in the air of Madrid, but show significant differences in terms of fractionation (major presence in gas phase or in particulate phase) between different compounds and congeners evaluated.

Keywords

• persistent organic pollutant
• atmospheric pollution
• high-volume sampler
• polyurethane foam