Atmospheric Occurrence and Gas-particle Partitioning of Pbdes in an Industrialised, Urban and Suburban Area of Thessaloniki, Northern Greece

Ambient concentrations and gas/particle partitioning of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) were investigated in a industrial, a traffic and a background site in the urban agglomeration of Thessaloniki, northern Greece. Atmospheric (gas+particle) concentrations of ∑12PBDE at industrial site were higher than those observed at urban-traffic and urban-background sites. In industrial site, mean gas-phase ∑12PBDE concentrations were 14.4 and 21.2 pg m and particlephase PBDE concentrations were 28.7 and 23.7 pg m, for the cold and warm season, respectively. Mean gas-phase concentrations of ∑12PBDE at the traffic site were 7.2 pg m in the cold season and 11.2 pg m in the warm season and particle-phase PBDE concentrations were 19.5 and 17.5 pg m, for the cold and warm season, respectively. The corresponding levels at the urban-background site were lower, 4.7 and 6.3 pg m in gas-phase and 3.9 and 3.1 pg m in particle-phase, for the cold and warm season, respectively. At three sampling sites, the total (g+p) mean concentrations of ∑12PBDEs were relatively higher in the warm season. The partition coefficient of PBDEs between the gas and particle phases (Kp) was well correlated with the subcooled liquid vapor pressure (P°L) for all samples.