Halogens are strongly enriched in peat and peatlands and such they are one of their largest active terrestrial reservoir. The enrichment of halogens in peat is mainly attributed to the formation of organohalogens and climatically controlled humification processes. However, little is known about release of halogens from the peat substrate and the distribution of halogens in the peat pore water. ...

To better understand the bioaccumulation behavior of perfluoroalkyl contaminants (PFCs), we conducted a comparative analysis of PFCs and lipophilic organohalogens in a Canadian Arctic marine food web. Concentrations of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorooctansulfoamide (PFOSA), and C7-C14 perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) ranged between 0.01 and 0.1 ng x g(-1) dry wt in sediments an...

Test systems to screen for estrogenicity and appropriate biomarkers of human exposure are required for epidemiological studies of endocrine disruption. We addressed these issues by developing and standardising a method to assess the total estrogenic xenobiotic burden in human adipose tissue. In this study, which is the continuation of a previous work, we have improved the protocol for extensive...

GOAL, SCOPE AND BACKGROUND The anthropogenic environmental emissions of chloroacetic acids and volatile organochlorines have been under scrutiny in recent years because the two compound groups are suspected to contribute to forest dieback and stratospheric ozone destruction, respectively. The two organochlorine groups are linked because the atmospheric photochemical oxidation of some volatile o...

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are widely used as flame retardants and have been detected in human blood, adipose tissue, and breast milk. Developmental and long-term exposures to these contaminants may pose a human health risk, especially to children. Previously, we demonstrated that polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which are neurotoxic and structurally similar to PBDEs, perturbed int...

This report concerns a study which was conducted for SKB. The conclusions and viewpoints presented in the report are those of the authors. SKB may draw modified conclusions, based on additional literature sources and/or expert opinions. Abstract Chlorine-36 (36 Cl), a radioisotope of chlorine (Cl) with a half-life of 301,000 years, is present in some types of nuclear waste and is disposed in re...

The observed high-level burdens of organohalogens among the residents of the Faroe Islands, needs to be explained. Long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas) blubber and meat are known sources of environmental exposure. The present study focus on the organohalogen contamination of the fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis). The compounds quantified in fulmar muscle, fat, and egg are PCBs, DDTs, hexachlo...

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), widely used as flame-retardants, are now recognized as globally distributed pollutants, and are detected in most environmental and biological samples, including human blood, adipose tissue, and breast milk. Due to their wide use in commercial products and their persistent nature, long-term exposure to PBDEs may pose a human health risk, especially to chil...

Introduction Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC) has gradually been introduced to solve some separation problems found during the analysis with one-dimensional GC. The use of high speed time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HS-ToF MS) as a detector for GC×GC (GC×GC–ToF MS) adds an additional dimension to the analysis allowing unambiguous determination based on nominal mass. Thi...

Ocean Alliance (OA) launched the Voyage of the Odyssey (VOO) in response to growing concern about the impact of chemical pollution in the marine environment. The Voyage of the Odyssey is a five-year global effort designed to gather a baseline dataset on levels and potential effects of synthetic contaminants in all of the world’s oceans. The sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) was chosen as a b...