Seasonal trends of PCBs in air over Washington DC reveal localized urban sources and the influence of Anacostia River

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorBokare, Mandar
dc.contributor.authorLombard, Nathalie
dc.contributor.authorMagee, Samuel
dc.contributor.authorMurali, Dev
dc.contributor.authorGhosh, Upal
dc.date.accessioned2022-11-10T18:26:03Z
dc.date.available2022-11-10T18:26:03Z
dc.date.issued2022-10-27
dc.description.abstractSemi-volatile organic compounds like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) undergo diffusive exchange flux between a water body and the overlying air. The magnitude of this exchange can be a substantial component of the overall pollutant mass balance and needs to be determined accurately to identify major pollutant sources to the water body and to plan appropriate remedies. For the PCB-impacted Anacostia River in Washington DC (USA), quantification of air-water exchange has been a major data gap. In the present study, polyethylene passive samplers were used to measure PCB concentrations in air phase at six locations in DC over a period of one year to capture spatial and seasonal variations. Concurrent water phase PCB measurements were used to quantify the direction and magnitude of air-water exchange in the Anacostia River. Two locations had nearly an order of magnitude higher air phase PCB concentrations that could be related to localized sources. Remaining four locations provided similar air phase PCB concentrations that averaged from 270 ± 44 pg/m3 (summer) to 32 ± 4.3 pg/m3 (winter). ∑PCB water-air exchange fluxes were positive across all seasons, with net PCB volatilization of 180 ± 19 g/year from the surface water. Volatilization rate was an order of magnitude lower than previously estimated from a fate and transport model. PCB load from atmospheric deposition based on previous studies in this watershed was an order of magnitude lower than the volatilization rate. Results refuted a long-standing understanding of the air phase serving as a source of PCBs to the river as per the currently approved Total Maximum Daily Load assessment. The study demonstrates the utility of passive air phase measurements in delineating local terrestrial sources of pollution as well as providing estimates for air-water exchange to complete a robust mass balance for semi-volatile pollutants in an urban river.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipFinancial support for this work was provided by the Washington DC Department of Energy and Environment through a subcontract with the US Fish and Wildlife Service (Grant number: F16AC00763).en_US
dc.description.urihttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749122017043en_US
dc.format.extent9 pagesen_US
dc.genrejournal articlesen_US
dc.identifierdoi:10.13016/m2xh1o-zduf
dc.identifier.citationBokare, Mandar et al. “Seasonal trends of PCBs in air over Washington DC reveal localized urban sources and the influence of Anacostia River.” Environmental Pollution 316, Part 1 (1 January 2023). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120490en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120490
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11603/26298
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.publisherElsevieren_US
dc.relation.isAvailableAtThe University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)
dc.relation.ispartofUMBC Chemical, Biochemical & Environmental Engineering Department Collection
dc.relation.ispartofUMBC Faculty Collection
dc.relation.ispartofUMBC Student Collection
dc.relation.ispartofUMBC Center for Urban Environmental Research and Education (CUERE)
dc.relation.ispartofUMBC Department of Marine Biotechnology
dc.rightsThis work was written as part of one of the author's official duties as an Employee of the United States Government and is therefore a work of the United States Government. In accordance with 17 U.S.C. 105, no copyright protection is available for such works under U.S. Law.en_US
dc.rightsPublic Domain Mark 1.0*
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/*
dc.titleSeasonal trends of PCBs in air over Washington DC reveal localized urban sources and the influence of Anacostia Riveren_US
dc.typeTexten_US

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
Thumbnail Image
Name:
1-s2.0-S0269749122017043-main.pdf
Size:
2.81 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
Thumbnail Image
Name:
1-s2.0-S0269749122017043-mmc1.pdf
Size:
2.07 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
2.56 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download

Collections

UMBC Chemical, Biochemical & Environmental Engineering Department
UMBC Center for Urban Environmental Research and Education (CUERE)
UMBC Department of Marine Biotechnology
UMBC Faculty Collection
UMBC Student Collection