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1D - Soil and Sediment Contamination (TUP/9) Volatilization is a sink of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and antifouling pesticides from harbor sediments. Pérez, Sandra1, Martínez, Karell1, Dachs, Jordi 1, Barceló, Damiŕ1, 1 Dept. of Environmental Chemistry, IIQAB-CSIC, Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain ABSTRACT- Harbors and marinas are impacted by important pollutant inputs, particularly of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and antifouling pesticides such as Irgarol, Diuron, Sea nine, etc. Air-water exchange is an important process driving the environmental fate of organic pollutants in aquatic environments. However, its relevance as a factor affecting the environmental fate and sinks of pollutants from harbor sediments and waters has not been properly assessed. The objective of this study is to quantify the importance of volatilization losses as a sink of PAHs and antifouling pesticides from harbor sediments and waters. The results show that volatilization fluxes are relatively high in comparison to those observed in other coastal environments but comparable to those reported for other harbors systems. These volatilization fluxes are particularly high for the low MW compounds. This is consistent with the PAH profiles observed in sediments which are depleted by the lower MW hydrocarbons. Therefore, volatilization is an important sink of PAH, specially those with lower MW, thus higher volatility. The fast disappearance rates of antifouling perticides that are sometimes observed in harbors could be due the the important role of volatilization as a loss process, rather than aquatic degradation. Finally, the diurnal trends in volatilization fluxes mimics that of sea breeze, pointing out the important role that diurnal sea-breeze driven variability exert on the environmental fate of pollutants such as PAHs and antifouling pesticides in coastal environments. Key words: antifouling pesticides, PAHs, sediments, harbor |
