New classes of organic pollutants in the remote continental environment – Chlorinated and brominated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on the Tibetan Plateau

Abstract

Halogenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are carcinogenic and ubiquitous environmental organic pollutants. The abundance and sources of these compounds have not been studied in remote environments. We collected and analyzed air, soil, lichen, and moss samples from the Tibetan Plateau. Concentrations of chlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were 0.78–4.16 pg/m3 in air, 3.11–297 pg/g in soil, 260–741 pg/g in lichens, and 338–934 pg/g in mosses. Concentrations of brominated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were 0.15–0.59 pg/m3 in air, 0.61–72.3 pg/g in soil, 33.5–64.9 pg/g in lichens, and 20.5–72.5 pg/g in mosses. The dominant congeners were 9- and 2-chlorophenanthrene, 1-chloropyrene, 3-chlorofluoranthene, and 1-bromopyrene. We found correlations between congener concentrations in lichens and in air, and lichens effectively predicted near-ground atmospheric concentrations of the pollutants. The enrichment of photochemically stable compounds in high-altitude environments is influenced by their physicochemical properties. Principal component analysis with multivariate linear regression of chlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons measured in lichens provided an assessment of the relative source contributions, and suggested that in Medog County of Tibetan Plateau, 48% was likely from long-range combustion sources, 26% was from local burning sources, and 26% was from photochemical formation. Keywords: ClPAHs, High-mountain cold-trapping, Long-range atmospheric transport, POPs, PAHs, Lichen