Long-Term (1970−2017) Temporal Trends of Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Fish, Settling Material, and Sediments from Populated and Remote Sites in Rio de la Plata Estuary, Argentina

JUAN CARLOS COLOMBO; ERIC DEMIAN SPERANZA; MALENA ASTOVIZA; MARÍA CAROLINA MIGOYA; CARLOS NORBERTO SKORUPKA,; MANUEL MORRONE; SANTIAGO HEGUILOR,; LEANDRO MARTÍN TATONE,; SANTIAGO HEGUILOR ; CARLOS NORBERTO SKORUPKA; MANUEL MORRONE; SANTIAGO HEGUILOR; LEANDRO MARTÍN TATONE; CLAUDIO BILOS

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

AMER CHEMICAL SOC

Lugar: Washington; Año: 2018 vol. 52 p. 12412 - 12418

0013-936X

Temporal trends of polychlorinated biphenyls(PCBs) were studied for detritivorous fish (1996−2017) and settling material (2002−2017) from polluted Buenos Aires coast and for a dated sediment core (1970−2013) from the outer Rio de la Plata estuary. In spite of contrastingconcentrations [5.3 ± 6.3 μg·g−1 dry weight (dw) for fish, 48 ± 26 ng·g−1 dw for settling material, and 1.5 ± 0.7 ng·g−1 dw for core], all three revealed exponentially decreasing trends over time (97%, 83%, and 83%, respectively). Time trends showed peak maxima coincident with Argentina?s period ofmaximum PCB usage in 1973−1980 (80 cm depth in the core) and pulse discharges related to PCB banning in 2001−2002 (fish) with a lighter signature enriched in less persistent tri- and tetrachlorobiphenyls. The log−linear PCB time trends compare well with the predicted decrease for a high emission scenario from global emission data; the best fit was observed for the less impacted sediment core (−2%·year−1 versus −3%· ear−1 for emission scenario). Steeper slopes are observed for the more polluted settling material (−5%·year−1 ) and especiallyfor fish, in which the background decline trend tripled after the 2001 PCB pulse (from −7%·year−1 to −21%·year−1 ). These PCB time trends in related environmental compartments from contrasted sites provide rare evidence for evaluating the effectiveness of control measures in southern South America.